A NORTH Yorkshire MP has voiced alarm at a Care Quality Commission report highlighting “alleged severe staff shortages at Scarborough Hospital, potentially putting patient safety, health and wellbeing at risk”.

Anne McIntosh, the Conservative MP for Thirsk, Malton and Filey, said she had written to Patrick Crowley, chief executive of the York Hospital Trust, which merged with the Scarborough trust last year, and Mike Proctor, chief executive at Scarborough, “asking what plans they have to recruit more staff and turn the situation around”.

Miss McIntosh said: “I have also written to Jeremy Hunt (Health Secretary) and Sir David Nicholson (NHS chief executive) calling for an urgent review of the funding formula to deal with the chronic underfunding of health care in North Yorkshire, without which the long-term situation will not improve.”