PARENTS are being warned that from early October a North Yorkshire hospital's accident and emergency department will no longer be the right place to bring children who are unwell.

Instead, parents of sick children are being told to ring their GP, ring the NHS 111 out-of-hours service or get advice from a pharmacy rather than going to the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.

In an emergency, if a child needs urgent and immediate attention, parents are being told to ring 999 and call an ambulance.

Any child who is likely to need an overnight stay in hospital will be treated at either the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough or Darlington Memorial Hospital, but planned day case surgery for children will continue to be provided at the Friarage.

Arrangements for children with minor injuries such as sprains or cuts and bruises remain unchanged and children will still be seen at the Friarage.

The changes are the consequences of the controversial downgrading of the Friarage’s paediatric unit which is now being implemented by the NHS.

Hospital officials said that from Wednesday, October 1 the Friarage’s A&E department would no longer have specialist children’s doctors or children’s inpatient facilities overnight.

Instead a short-stay paediatric assessment unit will operate during the day which will only assess and treat children who have been referred by their GP.

On Monday, October 6 a new midwifery-led maternity unit will open, where women who have been assessed as low risk can give birth

The Special Care Baby Unit will also close on Monday, October 6.

High risk mums-to-be will now give birth at another hospital of their choice, such as James Cook in Middlesbrough or Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Despite a long battle by campaigners and local residents against the changes, the struggle was lost earlier this year.

Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group, drew up the proposals after doctors at the Friarage said it was no longer safe or sustainable to continue to operate full service children’s and maternity units.

Councillor John Blackie, leader of Richmondshire District Council, predicted that the lack of children’s facilities overnight would further undermine the viability of the Friarage’s A&E unit.

But his claim that the impact on A&E of the changes had not been included in the public consultation was rejected by South Tees Hospitals officials.