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DOCTORS
in Skipton have expressed their outrage at a decision
to suspend "social" abortions to reduce waiting
times for other services. GPs across the district received
a letter from Craven, Harrogate and Rural (CHARD) only
after a Skipton practice questioned whether patients were
still receiving treatment at Airedale General Hospital,
Steeton. Fisher Medical Centre in Skipton raised their
concerns with local MP David Curry and CHARD after hearing
the hospital was sending most patients to Leeds. It is
still treating those women requiring terminations for
medical reasons. CHARD issued a letter stating the service
had been suspended with the immediate aim of allowing
"other parts of the gynaecology service to begin
reducing their waiting lists below the six month threshold
for having to offer patients choice". Practice manager
at Fisher Medical Centre Jenny Hutchinson said that the
normal procedure was to consult with GPs before changing
a service. "We do not think it should have happened
in the first place without us being consulted," she
added.
Mr
Curry has written to Bob Allen, the chief executive of
Airedale NHS Trust, for clarification on whether it will
continue to provide the service at the hospital in the
future. He said: "Leaving aside the debate about
whether abortion is right or wrong, the fact is that it
is a service that has been carried out at Airedale General
Hospital and has been suspended in order to divert resources
to reduce waiting times elsewhere. The Government repeatedly
tells us that the setting of targets does not disrupt
the clinical activities of the hospital. This demonstrates
quite clearly that it does." At the moment patients
are being referred by GPs to Airedale General Hospital,
which is then referring them onto a Marie Stopes clinic
in Leeds.
A
spokesman for CHARD said the suspension of the service
was only for six weeks to allow Airedale NHS Trust to
reduce waiting times for other procedures.
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