DOCTORS in Skipton have expressed their outrage at a decision to suspend "social" abortions to reduce waiting times for other services.

GPs across the district received a letter from Craven, Harrogate and Rural (CHARD) only after a Skipton practice questioned whether patients were still receiving treatment at Airedale General Hospital, Steeton.

Fisher Medical Centre in Skipton raised their concerns with local MP David Curry and CHARD after hearing the hospital was sending most patients to Leeds. It is still treating those women requiring terminations for medical reasons.

CHARD issued a letter stating the service had been suspended with the immediate aim of allowing "other parts of the gynaecology service to begin reducing their waiting lists below the six month threshold for having to offer patients choice".

Practice manager at Fisher Medical Centre Jenny Hutchinson said that the normal procedure was to consult with GPs before changing a service. "We do not think it should have happened in the first place without us being consulted," she added.

Mr Curry has written to Bob Allen, the chief executive of Airedale NHS Trust, for clarification on whether it will continue to provide the service at the hospital in the future.

He said: "Leaving aside the debate about whether abortion is right or wrong, the fact is that it is a service that has been carried out at Airedale General Hospital and has been suspended in order to divert resources to reduce waiting times elsewhere.

"The Government repeatedly tells us that the setting of targets does not disrupt the clinical activities of the hospital. This demonstrates quite clearly that it does."

At the moment patients are being referred by GPs to Airedale General Hospital, which is then referring them onto a Marie Stopes clinic in Leeds.

A spokesman for CHARD said the suspension of the service was only for six weeks to allow Airedale NHS Trust to reduce waiting times for other procedures.