HEALTH chiefs in North Yorkshire have announced that the running of mental health services in York and Selby will be handed over to a new provider on January 1.

Following months of discussions between directors of Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust and NHS North Yorkshire and York, the newly-named Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will take over running the service next year with a commitment to providing “the best possible service”.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the organisation said the possibility of job losses as a result of the take-over “had not been discussed” and the transfer of services was the priority at the moment.

Frank Griffiths, chairman of Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have worked hard with colleagues in NHS North Yorkshire and York over the past few months to agree the best way to transfer the mental health and learning disability services to our new Trust. We are delighted to have reached an agreement and are looking forward to bringing together the shared knowledge, skills and experience into a new organisation which will provide services to the people of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire.”