NO GUARANTEES could be given about the future of the accident and emergency service at the Friarage Hospital, a senior health official told a public meeting.

When pressed, Simon Kirk, chief executive of Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust, was unable to make a commitment that casualty services would be retained at their current levels at the Northallerton hospital for the next five years.

The packed meeting at Hawes on Thursday of last week heard that the Government aimed to have every accident and emergency unit treat 30,000 patients a year. The Friarage unit saw about 14,000, because much of its catchment area was sparsely populated and rural.

There was a similar "numbers game" regarding maternity. The Friarage saw about 1,350 births compared with the target of 4,000 births at a district maternity unit.

Speaking afterwards, Coun John Blackie, county, district and parish councillor for Hawes and chairman of the county council health scrutiny committee, said a casualty department and a maternity service must be available in Northallerton 24 hours a day.

The PCT assured the 120 people at the meeting that an A&E service would continue at the Friarage, but a study was looking at the sort of trauma which would be handled there.

Coun Blackie said the department must not be downgraded to a minor injuries unit; that would be unacceptable to patients who already faced a long trek to hospital.

"People from the upper dales already have to travel 37 long miles for emergency or maternity treatment," he said. "To ask them to go 55 miles would be completely and utterly unacceptable."

The PCT and South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Friarage, are a year into a review of services prompted by a shortage of specialist doctors, the curbing of junior doctors' long hours and difficulty attracting and retaining staff in some areas.

An initial study led to an in-depth look at how accident and emergency, maternity, general surgery and anaesthetics would be organised. The trust pledged last month there were no plans to close the maternity unit.

Public information meetings have also been held in Richmond and Thirsk. A fourth takes place at Hambleton Forum, Northallerton, on Thursday, 7pm, and a fifth is planned for Masham in July.

Mr Kirk said the meetings had allowed the PCT to respond to public concerns.

Simon Pleydell, chief executive of the South Tees trust, said: "The trust and the PCT are both absolutely committed to the £21m redevelopment of the Friarage hospital and to doing everything we can to secure services for the future, whilst recognising that some of the issues we need to address are ones over which we have very little control.