HEALTH chiefs issued assurances yesterday that vital services would not be scrapped after the closure of a private hospital was announced.

The 120-year-old St John of God Hospital at Scorton, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, is to be closed and the building will be sold.

Bosses at the hospital, which is run by monks, insisted that health services would be moved elsewhere in the county, and that new jobs would be created as a result.

The hospital was embroiled in controversy last June when it revealed that operating theatres and the surgical ward would be closed so the religious order could concentrate on helping people with Alzheimer's disease, dementia and other special needs.

The move from Scorton will take between two and five years to complete, with the building being sold to finance new health developments in Richmondshire. Managing director Liz Pollard said: "Since last year we have been looking at how we can best use the building.

"The bottom line is that, in the light of the care standards legislation coming in and general social care policies, the constraints of the building do not allow us to further develop the services here."

Details of where services will be moved to are expected to be announced after a detailed consultation period with

patients, relatives, carers, staff and other health bodies. The Very Reverend John Martin, provincial of the order, said: "We have looked at the appropriateness and standard of the accommodation provided and, more importantly, we have given consideration as to how we can improve the quality of life for the people using the order's services at Scorton.

"The cost of maintaining and refurbishing the existing buildings to meet the requirements of legislation governing care services and health and safety requirements has also been taken into account."

Richmondshire district councillor Michael Heseltine said: "It's going to leave a great hole in the fabric of the village, so it's very sad. The name of Scorton is identified with the hospital over a large distance in this region."