It follows revelations the site is to stop training junior doctors, following a decision by the Yorkshire Deanery which oversees their training.

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust now has just weeks to make seven new non-training appointments.

However staff say a previous attempt to recruit non-training posts only led to one person appearing for an interview and it fears the latest recruitment effort is doomed to failure.

A member of hospital staff, who did not want to be named, said there were grave concerns about the lack of medical cover as the consultants prepare to move to new roles in Scarborough.

She added: "We are concerned this will leave Bridlington without doctors. It was always our worry that we would be shut by default.

"If someone has a cardiac arrest they need to have someone on a resuscitation team.

"Three consultants are going to Scarborough and a fourth retired in October and was never replaced.

"I can't see them being able to do anything more at Bridlington than running a nursing home."

One option for the trust would be using doctors from Scarborough to cover, but a major problem is that there is no surplus capacity in Scarborough for more patients from Bridlington.

Another would be hiring expensive locum staff or a registered medical officer.

The staff member added: "Some of our consultants are very worried.

"Last week or the week before they were 22 beds short, and that was with both sites running.

"Nobody can imagine what is going to happen for the first week of August."

In a statement, the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust said it was looking to recruit seven non-training appointments.

But it warned it would be difficult because the posts were professionally less attractive, and there was also a national shortage of doctors.

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