Bridlington Health Forum meeting hears of concerns about services across the area

The forum’s presentation explained the ‘decline of health services away from Bridlington Hospital’ since the Independent Review Panel’s Report of 2008 when acute medical admissions were diverted to Scarborough Hospital.

A forum spokesman said: “Sadly, only one of the seven recommendations of this report were acted upon and Bridlington has subsequently suffered from what many members of the public believe is a deliberately planned decimation of local services.

“We have strong evidence that the centralisation of services away from coastal areas has continued even after the pandemic with up to 72% of people who are currently referred to York Trust’s specialist outpatient clinics now being offered appointments at hospitals as distant as Malton and York.

“Many attendees contributed, sharing experiences and concerns about declining local health services. Local opinion confirmed our concerns about the adverse effects of health inequalities and unequal access to health services.”

Many attendees expressed concerns regarding:

○ The under use of Bridlington Hospital

○ The limitations of services provided by the Bridlington Urgent Treatment Centre

○ Patients having difficulty travelling to distant hospital appointments

○ The shortage of NHS Dentists in Bridlington

○ The reduction of services despite a growing population

○ Delays in patients being admitted to Scarborough Hospital from A+E

○ The lack of Palliative Care beds in Bridlington Hospital for patients receiving end-of-life care

○ Difficulty in accessing medical and medication records across different NHS providers,

○ Increasing mental health illness in younger people

○ The frail elderly having to stand and wait outside GP practices for Covid-19 vaccinations.

The Health Forum team also outlined its mission for services in Bridlington.

Dr Clarke, the forum’s chair, said: “BHF offers both listening ears and a voice for the people of Bridlington and surrounding areas.

“Our mission is to protect, restore, improve, and modernise the provision of health services in Bridlington and District as we attempt to hold to account our local healthcare providers, including the York and Scarborough Foundation.

“We need many more residents who are prepared to raise their concerns with local Healthcare Providers, East Riding Councillors and our MP Sir Greg Knight.

“We are facing increasing healthcare challenges in Bridlington, as are Driffield and Scarborough residents. BHF will raise these concerns at meetings with high level representatives of our Healthcare Providers later this month.”

If you would like to officially join BHF as a member email [email protected] or attend the next meeting on Thursday, July 21 between 3pm and 4.30pm at the Crown Buildings on Quay Road (postcode YO16 4LS).