LUCY spoke to Janet Soo-Chung, chief executive of North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Mike Proctor, director of nursing at York hospital.

The Press: What are the PCT/hospital's objectives for 2007?

J S-C: "The most basic of our corporate responsibilities is to live within our financial means and readers will be well aware of the significant challenges we currently face. As well as working with our partners to develop a stable financial platform from which the PCT can move forward, we will also be proceeding with the work we have already started to establish a structure for the new organisation to ensure we can deliver a very complex agenda in the coming year."

MP: "To continue to provide high-quality health care to the population of York and the surrounding area, to learn when we get things wrong and to continually improve and expand the services we provide."

The Press: What are your hopes/fears for the year ahead?

J S-C: "My hopes are that as a new organisation with a fresh perspective we will be able to work with our partners to do the difficult job which lies ahead."

MP: "I hope we can become a Foundation Trust this year. I also hope, that with our help, North Yorkshire and York PCT can begin to recover from its financial problems without major cuts in service, by finding ways to care for patients in the community, especially their own home, where I suspect many would rather be as an alternative to hospital, if the right level of care was in place."

The Press: What is your New Year message for readers?

J S-C: "I hope that people will understand that the future of local healthcare depends on the health and social care community working together to get to the bottom of the area's financial problems once and for all. This is the only way in which we can provide the stable platform for growth and investment in the future. We want to keep the public informed so they know what is happening and why, and be open and accountable. There are no easy answers but we will do all that we can to deliver this."

MP: "I would like to wish all your readers a happy and healthy New Year. To the smokers - try giving up - you know it makes sense!"