A North Yorkshire health chief's pledge to give a high priority to counselling for former patients of disgraced gynaecologist Richard Neale was welcomed today by an NHS watchdog.

Northallerton and District Community Health Council (CHC) has asked the Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust, North Yorkshire Health Authority and the NHS Executive for cash to fund support for the former patients.

CHC chief officer Val Stangoe said: "We are talking about gynaecological operations which, if they go wrong, leave people with very personal and very difficult to live with consequences."

She added: "The emotional fallout of this is enormous, and no one is doing anything about that at the moment."

Ms Stangoe said the CHC had written to the three organisations that she thought had a responsibility to help, but she knew the health trust was under "severe" financial pressure.

Barrie Fisher, chief executive of North Yorkshire Health Authority, said: "The authority is committed to providing what help and support it can to former patients of Mr Neale, and we'll be dealing with this request as a priority."

His comments were welcomed by Ms Stangoe.

Mr Neale, who worked at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, between 1985 and 1995, was struck off by the General Medical Council in July after being found guilty of 34 counts of serious professional misconduct.