OVER 12,000 people have signed an online petition against possible changes at Scarborough Hospital.

It comes after the hospital said it was reviewing some services in connection with national NHS requirements to save money.

The petition claims the hospital is looking at reducing or stopping emergency surgery and downgrading accident and emergency cover to a minor injuries unit.

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has said the emergency department at Scarborough will remain open and no decisions had been made about the other services offered at the hospital.

Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) mean 44 areas of England are required to redesign NHS services. The Humber Coast and Vale area - which includes York and Scarborough - is required by government to find savings to plug a £420 million funding gap by 2021.

A spokesperson said: "Healthcare is changing, people are living longer and there is a growing need for different types of health and care services, which are often provided outside of hospitals. This should mean that, with increased out-of-hospital care, fewer people will require the types of services that acute hospitals currently provide. Whilst this is good news for patients, it puts pressure on hospitals such as Scarborough where we are already seeing challenges in recruiting enough specialist staff or seeing enough patients to make services sustainable.

"We need to think about how we can do things differently to provide the best services for local people, not just finding a 'quick fix' for the problems we face now, but finding longer term solutions that meet local needs.

"We have committed to retaining an emergency department in Scarborough, and to do anything else would be unthinkable not least due to the impact on other hospitals and the local population. Our efforts are focused on what we have to have at Scarborough and what innovative staffing models we can develop to safely deliver them if traditional staffing is not possible."

The review is at an early stage, the trust said, adding the work is likely to take many months and "there will be opportunities for staff and the public to get involved".

In Scarborough, concerns have been raised about possible cuts. The petition states: "Only 65 per cent of Scarborough residents have a car, we are a poor area. We are over 40 miles from any other hospital. York is 20-25 miles from another local hospital and large teaching hospital (Harrogate and Leeds respectively). The number of attendees to A&E in the summer rises by 13.5 per cent according to the stats. We need Scarborough Hospital. Otherwise we won't get tourists, we won't get future employees or new businesses setting up."