NORTH Yorkshire's health watchdog is to 'consider raising the alarm directly with Jeremy Hunt' about the sustainability of local NHS funding and the commissioning system.

At its next meeting on Friday, North Yorkshire County Council’s Scrutiny of Health Committee will discuss a local NHS report which sets out the precarious position of local NHS finances.

The report shows a £46m total deficit for 2017/18 incurred by the four Clinical Commissioning Groups that cover most of North Yorkshire’s population. The projected deficit for the current year is likely to amount to at least £31m. In York alone, the deficit is £20.1 million.

Cllr Jim Clark, chair of the scrutiny of health committee, said: “We are fearful for what this will mean for local NHS services... the concern remains that the scale of the deficits that have been accumulating over the years will mean that as much as £150m may be needed for the health system locally to be brought back into balance”.