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EMERGENCY surgery for children is being withdrawn from the Frirage Hospital because of safety concerns.

From June 1, children requiring emergency surgery admitted by the Friarage in Northallerton will have to be immediately transferred to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

This centralisation of emergency paediatric surgery is estimated to affect about 100 children a year.

The move follows a nationwide review of services for children in hospitals by the Healthcare Commission in 2006. The review recommended that emergency surgery for children should only be carried out in larger, more specialist hospitals.

This is partly to ensure that 24-hour anaesthetic cover is available and partly to ensure surgeons have more experience of paediatric emergency surgery.

In a report to the trust board, Simon Pleydell, chief executive of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, said: The trust is making some changes to ensure the safety of children having surgery in the James Cook and Friarage. The key service changes, coming into effect on June 1, will ensure that competent and experienced staff are providing surgical services at the frequency required to maintain effective and safe clinical skills.

While planned surgery will be carried out at both sites, as part of dedicated childrens lists, emergency surgery will be based at James Cook Hospital.

Emergency surgery for children at the James Cook will also benefit from the availability a specialist paediatric anaesthetist.

This means a small number of children who need emergency surgery but usually access these services thorugh the Friarage will require urgent transfers to James Cook, said Mr Pleydell.

The changes have been discussed with the Yorkshie and Humberside local medical committee, practice-based commissioners and North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust as well as North Yorkshires County council's scrutiny of health committee.

Guidelines on the changes are being sent to all GPs in the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas.

Jill Moulton, director of planning, said: We reckon there may be up to 60 on the orthopaedic side, mostly fractures, plus up to 50 on the surgical side.

The Healthcare Commission told the South Tees trust that it needed to address poor access to child-specific services and criticised the fact that many anaesthetists and surgeons undertook fewer cases than recommended and thus are unable to demonstrate sufficient caseload to maintain skills.

In response, the trust drew up an action plan resulting in the changes.

9:44am Friday 9th May 2008

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