A HEALTH watchdog will highlight concerns over the future of health services to the Prime Minister, after it emerged several doctors’ groups managing NHS services had acted unlawfully.

The leader of North Yorkshire County Council’s scrutiny of health committee said as the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt had not responded to serious issues raised over the running of NHS services in the county, it would press Theresa May to take urgent action.

At a meeting of the committee attended by senior figures from Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby, Harrogate, Vale of York and Scarborough and Ryedale clinical commissioning groups, Councillor Jim Clark also accused the bodies of hiding how serious their financial situation was.

The retired accountant told the CCGs: “We are concerned you had a deficit of £46m last year, it was probably more than that. There’s a game that goes on between senior accountants... They fiddle around to get the figure they first thought of.

“The figures are dreadful. How much longer are waiting lists going to be? How much more rationing are we going to be subjected to? How many more beds are going to close and are any more hospitals going to be downgraded?”

Cllr Clark said a report by auditors of the Hambleton CCG raised concerns over its abililty to carry out its statutory obligations.

He added: “The CCGs have had information from accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers that they need to talk urgently with NHS England on how they can better financial control and how they must work closely together and with the hospitals. We’ve had years of very poor financial control over the amount of money given and it’s important we get this addressed immediately.”

The meeting heard all the CCGs had been reported to Jeremy Hunt for acting unlawfully by exceeding their budgets, but Mr Hunt had not responded to that or to concerns raised over the “chronic shortage of NHS staff in North Yorkshire”.

Bernard Chalk, the Hambleton CCG’s chief financial officer, said he took issue with Cllr Clark’s claims over the total deficit and stated it would carry out all its statutory duties.

Other NHS bosses told the meeting the main issue facing the county was over their inability to recruit and retain medical and nursing staff.