It is a great shame that the York District Hospital crche is set to close. A combination of tighter regulations and a worn-out play area look set to condemn the facility.

That would be a blow to families with young children. A visit to the hospital can often be difficult, even traumatic; trying to control a toddler can make it harder still. For years, the crche has been a godsend for parents.

Hospital bosses plan to replace the crche by setting up "play stations" for children in out-patient areas. This decision has been taken without consultation, and staff have expressed concern about the implications of having more children in the hospital.

Play stations are a far from ideal solution. It would be much better for the authorities to look again at ways to reprieve the crche.

As always, the problem is money. To build a new play area would cost at least £70,000. On top of this is the ongoing cost of employing two nursery nurses.

A possible solution would be for the hospital to enter into a partnership with a private firm. Such public-private co-operation is a feature of modern life, its proponents ranging from central Government to the City of York Council.

The health service is traditionally very defensive when it comes to using private cash.

But a crche is a peripheral service, far removed from the medical front line which needs to be protected from privatisation.

Parents could be asked to pay a small fee for leaving their child there, with the usual concessions for people on benefits. There should be little objection to such a charge: people expect to pay for other non-medical services in the hospital, including food and drink in the canteen.

Other organisations, including supermarkets and large offices, operate successful crches on this basis.

Regulations governing staff who supervise young children are rightly strict. But it is worth exploring whether York students close to qualifying as nursery nurses could gain work experience at the crche, alongside a fully qualified nurse. That might help the crche to meet staffing requirements.

These and other ideas deserve proper consideration. Hospital bosses should look harder for ways to save the crche.

see NEWS 'Retired play therapist devastated by plans to close hospital creche'

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