MEMBERS of North Yorkshire County Council’s health watchdog say they fear there is "little chance"of the Lambert Memorial Hospital reopening without urgent action.

The 14-bed hospital in Thirsk closed last September after mounting concerns over patient safety due to staffing pressures.

The hospital ward provided general rehabilitation, diagnostics and assessment of patients’ present and future care needs, as well as pain control and palliative care.

But South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust closed the ward on the basis that a combination of long-term staff sickness, absence and vacancies had put considerable pressure on the ward and compromised patient safety.

The hospital, which opened in 1890, has remained shut since then.

The trust said after several months of efforts to recruit staff it still only had 1.5 nurses who wanted to work there, but a minimum of 4.5 were needed to reopen the hospital.

In November, the chair of the county council’s Scrutiny of Health Committee, Cllr Jim Clark, wrote to the trust to express the committee’s “extreme disappointment” that no progress had been made to fill vacant nursing posts which led to the closure.

At a meeting of the governing body of the Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG on Thursday (28 January), Cllr Clark heard that after being unable to recruit suitable staff to reopen the hospital, the CCG was now exploring alternative arrangements, including providing beds in local nursing homes for people requiring end of life care.

Cllr Clark said: “It is extremely disappointing to hear that the situation remains unchanged. Without urgent action, I am concerned that there is little chance of the ward reopening and we must ensure that local people have alternative arrangements close to home. I fear the future of the Lambert Hospital is now looking increasingly uncertain.”

The trust says it has attempted to recruit overseas staff but said nurse recruitment was a major issue across the country, particularly in elderly care.

A spokeswoman for the trust said: "We are continuing to recruit nurses and hope to interview further candidates, who have expressed an interest in working at the hospital, over the next month, although we need to ensure staffing on the ward is sustainable."