HEALTH chiefs lurched into a new crisis today after it emerged some patients needing surgery were sent to West and East Yorkshire because of a "lack of capacity" at York Hospital.

Only days after we revealed that Selby and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) was planning sweeping cuts to meet its pressing debt problems, the Evening Press can reveal the trust transferred several patients requiring orthopaedic surgery to the Yorkshire Clinic at Bingley and to Goole last month.

In a letter to City of York Council's health chief, Sue Galloway, who raised the issue with the PCT, acting chief executive Penny Jones revealed the move had been taken "due to lack of capacity at York Trust and to meet the six-month waiting time target".

Coun Galloway said she understood as many as five taxis transported orthopaedic patients - needing knee surgery - from York to the Bingley clinic, which is private and run by health firm Capio. In her reply to Coun Galloway, Mrs Jones said the transport costs were covered by Capio, with no costs being incurred by the PCT.

Today, York Hospitals NHS Trust said it had been short of the orthopaedic capacity "for several years" to meet Government targets.

Hospital chief executive Jim Easton said: "In essence we have, for several years, been short of orthopaedic capacity to meet the new targets. We still have a number of patients left who need capacity.

"We have entered into a treatment contract with Capico and a new centre will open in York the next few weeks (which will be run by Capio). I understand that Capio agreed to treat the patients that were treated at Bingley. When that new centre opens, we can have care locally. We have delivered on our targets but there are still pressures. There is still a lot of orthopaedic work to be done."

The Evening Press revealed last week how the PCT was planning to reduce emergency admissions, shift outpatient appointments, and cut the number of beds at Selby War Memorial Hospital, in a bid to achieve "financial balance" by the end of the financial year.

The trust plans to be £23 million in debt in April but, in a letter sent to GPs just before Christmas, Mrs Jones revealed the organisation was more than £2 million adrift even of that target. GPs have branded the proposed changes "absolutely scandalous".

Coun Galloway said: "While I am pleased the patients received treatment, it does show the absurdity of the situation that in order to avoid being fined by the Government, the PCT had to commission the service from a private company some miles away from York."

The Capio treatment centre in York is being built on the site of the old Clifton Hospital laundry. It will include two operating theatres, a full range of outpatient facilities and 24 inpatient beds.

Updated: 09:48 Monday, January 09, 2006