Hundreds of people from across the East Riding packed into a hall to hear plans for a shake-up of the region's health services.

The meeting saw board members from East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) field questions about plans under consultation.

Beverley Memorial Hall in Lairgate, Beverley, was packed as 245 people took seats inside, leaving 50 people unable to get into the meeting.

Members of the audience had differing views on the merits of the current consultation.

Bryan Pearson, 72, of Westwood Road, Beverley, said: "It's a frightening regression - these options are not acceptable.

"I came to the meeting for the simple reason that when I looked at the form the trust has given us for options, as far as I can see, the option for where we put beds is Goole or Bridlington.

"Are we going to lose our community hospital and what's going to happen to people?

"I don't think it's right. It's one end of the area at Bridlington and the other at Goole and neither is run by our local health authority."

But Fred Hakney, of New Walk, Beverley, said: "I'm in favour of the rationalisation of the hospitals and the efficiency thereof.

"Things have to be efficient and the medical people are saying it's necessary for safety and best practice.

"The National Health Service is undergoing a reorganisation and this is part of it.

"There's a hospital nearby at Castle Hill which can serve people."

During the meeting, organised by the Beverley Health Action Group, the trust was presented with a petition calling for Beverley Westwood Hospital to be kept open.

The action group's chairman, Councillor John Bird, said: "I'm afraid we had to turn a lot of people away because the Memorial Hall only has a certain capacity.

"We reached that capacity at 6.50pm, so an awful lot of people didn't manage to get in.

"I'm pleased we've collected a total of 2,976 signatures in support of our health services and our hospital.

"People have been only too delighted to sign our petition. They don't want to see community beds close, they want to see them expanded."

As well as collecting petitioners' signatures, the action group arranged a march through the town on New Year's Day.

The trust gave a 30-minute presentation detailing the plans and what they would mean for the region before facing questions from the floor.

Claire Wood, the PCT's interim chief executive, said: "We are half-way through our consultation process into our commissioning strategy, with two public meetings down and two to go.

"We're still interested in people's views."
Mick Pilling (write) Chairman: SAVE BRIDLINGTON HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN ACTION GROUP Est: 2002

I have now been to many of these PCT meetings; at the end of the day they just do not listen to what the Public & Patients want; we firmly believe it is cut and dried before any meetings are arranged; discussions behind Closed Doors in Board Meeting Rooms are the norm by PCT's & Trusts; at the end of the day these organisations are out to save vast amounts of money; incurred by poor management and very high management wages... Why should the PCT care; they are not the ones who have to cope when these decisions are made; it is the people who live in the rural communities who have to travel miles and miles to receive treatment and visit patients; we firmly believe that the PCT have not thought this through for the good of all. Managers Code of Conduct: What has happened to the Code of Conduct for NHS Managers ? A selection below!

• To reassure the public that these important decisions are being made against a background of professional standards and accountability
• The public are properly informed
• Managers will be honest and will act with integrity and probity at all times
• “They will seek to ensure that” The best interests of the public and patients are up-held in decision-making.