THIRTY jobs will stay at York Hospital after a rival Trust pulled out of a deal which would have seen a screening programme moved out of the city.

The Press reported in December how the jobs in the Cervical Cytology department had been awarded to another site by NHS England.

The department is responsible for analysing smear tests for women across North Yorkshire and has done so for the last 16 years.

Jobs would have moved to Newcastle Upon Tyne when the new contract started in April 2017 and they would have been made available to the current staff if they had been willing to re-locate or commute.

Those who had been unwilling to re-locate would have been offered redundancy.

However, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust today said the jobs will remain in the city after they challenged the contract and the other Trust backed out.

As a result, the Cervical Cytology department will now analyse smear tests from women in North Lincolnshire and Goole.

A spokeswoman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Trust sought to challenge the contract award and following this process the other Trust has withdrawn their bid and the contracting authority has awarded the contract to the Trust.

“This award will see the North Lincolnshire and Goole community added to the current catchment served by the Trust.”

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, said: “It’s brilliant news and I was working behind the scenes to talk to senior people working within Cytology services, and the service remaining in York will provide a safer and better service in the community.

“I really welcome this very sensible approach to provide Cytology services in the city.

“We have got people who are trained in the work they do and they provide a real expertise in the service they provide women.

“The great news is that there is an advance in diagnosis technology which will move the service forward in years to come and it didn’t make sense to move the provider for a short term, so this is really logical.”