CAMPAIGNERS battling to save Scarborough's pain clinic are hoping they have fought off moves to cripple the service.
They are now hopeful it will be saved after crunch talks with top health chiefs and following strong public protests.
A meeting held between the pain support group and the chief executive of the York and North Yorkshire PCT, Janet Soo Chung, raise
d hopes that pain management services at the hospital would remain.
It was feared the pain clinic would close after drastic cuts to the services jeopardised its financial viability.
The former Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care trust reduced the number of follow up appointments at the clinic from 3,000 to 1,000 and, in addition, removed acupuncture and pain treatments as well as transferring a number of the clinic's responsibilities to local GPs.
The campaign for a re-think was backed by the Evening News through a petition and comments.
Henry Rowlands, a spokesman for the pain clinic support group, said: "For the first time, Dr Soo-Chung was prepared to sit down and listen to the consultants. She has not promised we will get everything back we should have but she is prepared to look at it again and discuss a way forward.
"Dr Soo-Chung said she would look at pain management across the York and North Yorkshire area as well as a model that can be run out across the whole of the county."
He said the PCT, the hospital trust and patients were hoping to meet again "within weeks" and come up with a plan to move forward.
Mr Rowlands added: "She was visibly shocked about some of the things we told her about her predecessors and it was quite clear she wasn't given that information from PCT staff.
"I am confident she will move things forward. The next thing is for them to look at what is acceptable for patients, and whether we think it is acceptable.
"And if we don't then she has a battle on her hands."
