MALTON Hospital has been confirmed as the urgent care centre for Ryedale following an extensive consultation on the future of the service.

NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has appointed Northern Doctors Urgent Care to operate the facility, along with a second unit at Scarborough Hospital from April next year.

Earlier this year the CCG announced plans to redesign current urgent care services, which includes the walk-in service provided at Castle Health Centre, in Scarborough, the minor injuries unit (MIU) at Malton Hospital and the out-of-hours GP service to form an integrated urgent care service spanning the whole area.

Dr Peter Billingsley, local GP and CCG lead for the project, said: “There is better knowledge in the local community and less need for patients to decide which service to access, this avoids the ‘shall I go here or shall I go there’ dilemma which was raised by many people during our engagement exercise. It will ensure we achieve our main aim of helping patients to get the right care, first time.”

The new service will assess, diagnose and treat all patients with urgent care needs, including access to diagnostics, such as X-ray, and also expert advice from A&E staff and other services, including mental health.

The GP out-of-hours service will be part of the overall service and therefore home visiting will be provided where necessary.

In 2012, a campaign launched by district and county councillor Lindsay Burr and backed by the Gazette & Herald gathered more than 10,000 signatures on a petition following a cut in opening hours at Malton MIU. The unit reopened at weekends in August 2013, but remains closed in the evenings.

Councillor Burr said she was absolutely delighted to hear the excellent news. “To think two years ago in December, I led a march through the streets of Malton to keep the minor injury unit open after fear of closure,” she said. “Malton Hospital is the perfect site for the new urgent care service and will benefit all Ryedale residents.”

A public meeting will be held in Malton in January will provide more information.