NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

20 MAY 2026

STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN OF SCRUTINY OF HEALTH COMMITTEE

The Scrutiny of Health Committee reviews matters relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services within the county, including Ambulance Trusts and the policies of the Health and Care Partnerships.  A key part of that responsibility is requiring NHS bodies to consult health scrutiny on proposals for substantial developments or variations to local health service provision.  The committee contributes to annual reports by providing feedback to the Integrated Care Boards and the NHS Trusts serving North Yorkshire on their performance and the experiences that the committee has had with them.

Since my previous statement to the Council meeting on 18 March 2026, the has held no scheduled meetings.  However, in response to the news of the planned closure of Reeth Medical Centre at the end of May, I agreed to call an extraordinary meeting of the committee on 8 May 2026.  This met in St. Andrews’ Church in Grinton, near Reeth, and allowed several hundred members of the community to attend and hear the discussion, reflecting the strength of feeling which surrounds this issue.

Resilience and Continuity in Rural Primary Care

The Committee agreed unanimously that the circumstances surrounding Reeth Medical Centre raised issues of significant public concern and merited urgent scrutiny.  Members heard directly from residents, patients, carers, parish representatives and clinicians.  Those public statements conveyed the strength of local feeling and highlighted profound anxieties about access, safety, continuity of care and the cumulative impact of rurality, transport barriers and an ageing population.  The Committee carefully considered evidence presented by the community, including a patient survey, which provided a detailed picture of local need and risk.

The Committee scrutinised the Integrated Care Board’s account of the events leading to closure, the options considered, the legal and contractual framework within which decisions were taken, and the mitigations proposed.  Members probed the robustness of the assumptions made, the adequacy of engagement and communication, and the extent to which national contractual arrangements adequately reflect the realities of deeply rural communities.  While recognising that the closure arose from the decision of GP partners to retire and was not a discretionary reconfiguration, the Committee was clear that the impact on patients and communities must remain central to all decision making.

Members welcomed the emergent proposal by Central Dales Practice to provide a branch surgery presence in Reeth as an important step towards continuity of care, while recognising that this arrangement represents a change from previous provision and will require close monitoring.  The Committee made clear its expectation that patient safety, access and clinical need must be kept under ongoing review.

Looking Ahead

More broadly, the Committee agreed that this case has exposed systemic challenges facing rural general practice and the limitations of current contractual and commissioning frameworks at a national level.  Members have asked that rural primary care resilience be included within the Committee’s forward work programme, and that dialogue continues with NHS partners, and where appropriate with other scrutiny committees, to ensure that the needs of rural residents are better anticipated and addressed.

Through this work, the Committee has sought to demonstrate the value of effective health scrutiny: bringing public voices into the room, testing evidence, challenging decision makers, and providing assurance to communities that their concerns are being heard and pursued.  The Committee will continue to monitor developments closely.

COUNCILLOR ANDREW LEE