A RETIRED hospital consultant has urged health bosses to consider the importance of family and friends being able to visit seriously ill patients when making any decision on a hospital in the future.

Dr Neil Browning worked as a consultant haematologist at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton from 1980 until he retired in 2002.

He says he is particularly worried by concerns expressed locally regarding a lack of anaesthetic and Intensive Care Unit cover at the hospital, which could increasingly see seriously ill patients sent to Middlesbrough for treatment.

Health bosses say they are working to come up with a long-term strategy for services at the Friarage, but The Northern Echo is aware that the hospital recently lost training status for middle grade doctors to train in anaesthetics. Without training, it may not be possible to provide in-house hospital cover in anaesthetics from September. It would affect emergency care and could potentially also mean the type of surgery on offer is also reduced.

Dr Browning, who lives in Northallerton, said the importance of patients receiving visitors when they were seriously ill should not be overlooked in any decision on services.

In 2008 he was treated in the Intensive Therapy Unit at the Friarage after developing pneumonia and nearly died.

He said he during the weeks he received emergency care and was seriously ill, family and friends in Northallerton would call in to see him.

“Just having people and family there, who could just pop in, was really important," he said.

"I got tired very quickly and I wasn’t able to talk because of a tracheotomy, but visits still helped.

“It did get to the stage with the illness and all the treatments that I felt I had had enough, but then I thought, “Actually I have some good things to live for”. I managed to rally round and make a reasonable recovery.

“I also had a friend who would pop in when he was walking the dog at night. Just that contact with people and the outside world helped. I’m sure if I hadn’t had all of that I wouldn’t have coped with the torment.”

Dr Browning said had he been treated many miles away in Middlesbrough, he would not have received the brief, frequent visits from family and friends that he so needed.

He said he was concerned that the journey from the Yorkshire Dales or other parts of North Yorkshire to visit a sick relative or friend in the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough in the future would simply not be viable.

He added: “The danger is that people who make decisions on the future of hospital services are looking at the cost and management structure and not necessarily on how it affects people. Particularly in rural areas like here.

“Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but it should still be about the care of people.”

But South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said like many areas of the country it was facing great challenges in staffing in key areas such as A&E, anaesthetic cover, critical care and acute medicine.

Medical director for the Friarage Adrian Clements said: “We have started to have a conversation with staff about some of the current workforce challenges facing the Friarage Hospital, particularly in four key services areas – A & E, 24/7 anaesthetic cover, critical care unit and acute medicine service.

“This is very much the start of a process to develop a long-term strategy for the Friarage, which is an integral part of our organisation, and we intend to have wider discussions with our patients, the public and other stakeholders in the coming months.

“Our commitment remains to deliver clinically safe and sustainable services for the population we serve across Hambleton, Richmondshire, Whitby and the surrounding areas.”