PATIENTS needing emergency medical care will no longer be treated at Bridlington Hospital from tomorrow.

Acute medical services at the Bessingby Road hospital will transfer to Scarborough Hospital.

It is the latest in a series of cuts, which has also seen the loss of maternity services and the cardiac monitoring unit to Scarborough.

Acute medical patients are those who have been assessed by GPs, paramedics or consultants as needing emergency medical care.

They can include those with breathing difficulties or heart failure.

A total of 21 new beds will be opened at Scarborough to accommodate more patients.

It comes despite a lengthy campaign against the proposals, including a petition signed by more than 39,000+ people, and a 7,000+-strong demonstration that marched through Bridlington in July.  THE TRUST DO-NOT LISTEN TO WHAT THE RESIDENTS OF BRIDLINGTON WANT!  (WHY)?

Campaigner Mick Pilling , chairman of Save Bridlington Hospital Action Group , said: "Once they take this out, it means a slow death of the hospital.

"The trust hasn't listened to any of the people who campaigned against these cuts and we believe it is a complete and utter disaster to remove these services.

"We are hoping there are no deaths in transit."

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said a number of new services are being introduced at Bridlington Hospital including a new renal dialysis unit, which opened last week.

More outpatient, diagnostic services and day surgery will be available and a consultant-led medical urgent access clinic is also in place, with other services planned.

Dr Earl Haworth, interim medical director at the trust, said: "We would like to stress the change to services at Bridlington Hospital is ultimately about improving patient care and safety.

"It is not about saving money.

"National clinical experts and an independent panel agreed with us that patient safety would be compromised if nothing was done.

"We know any change creates uncertainty and anxiety and concerns have been expressed by the public.

"These changes will only affect a small number of patients – about five to seven each day – who will be redirected to Scarborough Hospital as acute medical admissions.

"With investment of £600,000 in additional ambulance resources and the clinical skills of paramedics, treatment will begin immediately before arriving at Scarborough Hospital.

"Taking local people to a hospital with essential services such as intensive care, 24-hour surgical cover, 24-hour anaesthetic cover and an on-site laboratory service, which cannot be made available at Bridlington Hospital, will save lives."

Mick Pilling adds : The Trust have removed the main vital services, Maternity, Cardiac Monitoring Unit & Acute medical services; what they give us in return is a travisty....Bridlington Hospital will become a Rehabilitation Unit & a glorified Medical centre.  The Trust's way of thinking, give the people a deaf ear, draw a line under the changes & move-on; is this the health service we once know?