One of North Yorkshire's senior health leaders is reassuring councillors and local people that Scarborough Hospital is going to get a new Emergency department.
The £40m scheme is expected to get final sign off from the NHS in September.
Simon Cox is from the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group speaking at a county council meeting yesterday he moved to reassure councillors that the plans are at an advanced stage and that the likelihood of it not happening now is very small.
Two proposals are being considered, one would see the hospital get a new emergency department the other would see both the ED and a new critical care unit built.
Simon Cox says the COVID pandemic has shown the need for the full scheme including the critical care unit.
Councillor Caroline Goodrick welcomed the development of the A&E department, saying it was very important for rural areas, but said she was concerned over its staffing, given the difficulties the NHS has previously had in attracting staff to work in Scarborough.
Mr Cox said maintaining a workforce was the biggest challenge at the hospital, probably due to its coastal location, adding:
“I would have a nervousness about the ability to recruit all of the staff.”
However, Mr Cox said there were various factors in the hospital’s favour, including September seeing the first cohort of 30 nurses to complete training in Scarborough in two decades and the recent recruitment of medics.
He said the investment in the accident and emergency department would also demonstrate commitment to the hospital and could lead to further investments.
Mr Cox added:
“If you are a young aspiring clinician who wants to work in a critical care unit you are more likely to choose somewhere that has a modern purpose-built facility than somewhere that is too small and is really past its sell-by date.”
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