PATIENTS challenging the closure of York's Bootham Park Hospital have been granted a judicial review this summer.

Lawyers acting for service users of the mental health hospital have secured permission to challenge its closure, with the High Court hearing the review case in June or July.

Specialist lawyers at national firm Irwin Mitchell have challenged the actions taken by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that resulted in the decision to close the hospital at short notice.

The closure on October 1 left no inpatient NHS mental health hospital service in the area, with some patients moved as far away as Middlesbrough.

Yogi Amin, head of the public law team at Irwin Mitchell, said: “We have been instructed to challenge the closure of Bootham Park by a number of former service users and we have now been granted permission to proceed to a full judicial review.

"The case will be heard in the High Court and the duties of the Care Quality Commission will be placed into sharp focus.

"The other NHS bodies have given an account of their actions in respect of Bootham Hospital and that will also be considered as part of the case.

“We intend to raise a number of concerns about the way the decision was reached by the CQC and also the impact the closure has had on the safety of patients and the effect in the future if the hospital remains closed.

“There are a number of unanswered questions about how the decision was reached and also the very short period of time between the announcement and the closure of Bootham Park.

"Unfortunately, the closure of the hospital has forced many patients to travel a significant distance to access the support and treatment they require.

"Information about the impact on patients, including the ongoing impact now, will be relevant for me to consider as part of the evidence in this case.”