COUNCIL chiefs in York have backed The Press campaign to scrap a judge and jury panel vetting patients for treatment.

Councillors backed our campaign following a motion by Holgate Lib Dem councillor Martin Bartlett.

We launched our Let Your Doctor Decide campaign after North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) announced a range of money-saving measures at the end of last year.

They included suspending a range of hospital treatments, such as injections for back pain.

GPs were asked to send any patient they felt urgently needed one of these treatments to a special prior approval panel of PCT doctors, which only granted procedures to cases deemed exceptional.

Doctors and patients were furious the panel was barring patients from treatment, and The Press launched the campaign in protest.

Last week, The Press reported a total of 2,346 people had signed our petition, which The Press health reporter Lucy Stephens handed to board members from the PCT.

The PCT has launched a major finance plan detailing how it will save nearly £33 million this year - and potentially another £15 million.

The organisation faces a shortfall of £86 million and is using extra cash of nearly £100 million from the Government to plug part of the black hole.

Coun Bartlett, speaking at the council meeting on Thursday, said: "We are concerned that reductions, restrictions and delays in NHS treatment in York could have a negative impact on council services and budgets.

"This is a concern we share with many other councils. It is hoped one outcome of The Press campaign will be a more effective partnership between all those concerned, not least the patients."

Opposition Labour councillors tabled an amendment to the motion, with Coun Sandy Fraser wanting the council simply to "note" The Press campaign rather than back it.

Labour's Coun Janet Looker said: "With the exceptions panel, we're looking at a relatively small group of patients and we should look at the positive side of things.

"These are treatments the PCT has said they're not going to fund and the panel is there to over-ride it and give permissions if it is appropriate."

The majority of councillors did not back the amendment and Coun Bartlett's motion was carried.

NHS has a duty to patients in pain'

WHILE councillors debated our Let Your Doctor Decide campaign, patients suffering from painful conditions held a meeting to discuss plans from health bosses on future care.

About 50 patients attended a meeting with the PCT's Dr David Geddes in the Social Services Hall, in White Cross Road, York. The meeting was held to discuss plans put forward by North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) which will limit the availability of injections which are currently given for back pain.

Patients in North Yorkshire can currently be given facet joint injections or epidurals to help them cope with back pain.

The PCT suspended the injections for new patients as part of a package of cost cuts announced three months ago.

The meeting gave patients a chance to discuss any worries about the changes, and to tell them about the Pain Management Support Group that operates at the hospital.

Dr Geddes urged people to attend the pain management clinic at York Hospital and enrol in its cognitive therapy programme.

But Linda Hatton, of the support group, said some people were still finding it difficult to understand the changes.

She said: "We're not going to go away. I feel that the National Health Service has a duty to help patients in pain, that's the core of the NHS.

"I don't think they realise that by stopping these injections, it's causing a lot of people a lot of pain and distress."