THE new chief executive of the trust that runs Bridlington Hospital has said any future changes at the site will be “clinically driven”.

Richard Sunley, who will officially take up the post at Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust on Monday, said he recognised residents in the town had taken the hospital to their hearts”.
It comes after the loss of acute medical services and the cardiac monitoring unit from Bridlington Hospital to Scarborough”.

Thousands of people campaigned against the cuts as well as the closing of maternity services, which will also soon transfer to Scarborough.

Mr Sunley, 48, was previously director of operations at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He will take over from interim chief executive Christine Green”.

Mr Sunley said: “I think the reassurance is we will make sure any changes are clinically driven”.

"The key thing is to make a safe clinical service at Bridlington – that’s the nub of the issue there”.

“It’s great the local population take Bridlington to their hearts.

“If they didn’t do that, I don’t think we would have the building blocks to make a great clinical service and I think we have that now.”

In October, the trust was branded one of the worst in the country in a report by the independent watchdog the Healthcare Commission, receiving a “weak” score for its quality of services and use of resources.

The trust was one of just six in the country, and two in Yorkshire, to be rated “weak” in both categories”.

Mick Pilling, chairman of Save Bridlington Hospital Action Group, said the trust had let Bridlington down “in a big way”.

He said: “I think it will take a lot for the people of Bridlington to believe in the trust.

“It is up to the new chief executive to give Bridlington some idea of what his intentions are.”