BOB Adams, who is the current President of the York Medical Society, revealed that he had spoken last Friday about Bootham Park's closure to Dr Paul Lelliott, the Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals, England and Wales.

"He said it was unprecedented that a city the size of York should not have any psychiatric beds for its adult population," said Dr Adams.

"We are talking about some of the most vulnerable people in our community, those who have a major breakdown in their ability to care for themselves safely."

He said he was pleased that the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) had taken over the management of York's mental health services, saying this should have happened in 2012. "TEWV has a reputation for building state-of-the-art psychiatric hospitals. I know this because I now work for the Mental Health Tribunal service and in the course of my work I have visited TEWV hospitals in Teesside, Hartlepool and Scarbrough."

He said he was concerned about what would happen until the new hospital was built. "We cannot be left with a situation where service users are sent miles out-of-area for the next four years or more."

He said Dr Lelliott had told him that York services now had a high profile at the CQC. "When I asked him how long it would take to organize a CQC inspection to re-open suitable beds he told me just a matter of weeks. So come on TEWV. Get your act together and find suitable premises. Or better still, make the necessary changes to BPH so it can be re-licensed pending the construction of new premises."

He urged York residents to do their bit to help ensure suitable mental health provision was restored in York by continuing to write to the Press, to their MP and the Health Secretary, and attending a public meeting with service providers that York Central MP Rachael Maskell had promised to set up.

Martin Barkley, TEWV chief executive, said: “Services transferred to TEWV at a difficult time and we are doing all we can to minimise the impact and to find solutions that will enable us to transfer services back to York as quickly as possible.

“On Friday we discussed with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) the possibility of re-opening non-inpatient services at Bootham Park Hospital. The CQC have requested additional information which we are now providing.

“We have also been looking at possible interim arrangements for inpatient services and intend to present proposals to the City of York Council’s Health and Scrutiny Committee on October 20.

“Our longer term goal is a new inpatient unit for the people of York and Selby and we will consider all the options, including the suggestion made by Dr Adams.”