Many months later they still don’t realise mistake

Barbara Jefford, actress, John Howard, former prime minister of Australia, Sir Mick Jagger, Rolling Stone Dame Helen Mirren, actress, Roger Taylor, rock musician

Susan George, actress, Kevin Spacey, actor, Sandra Bullock, actress

Kate Beckinsale, actress, BEING disgusted with the proposals to close the HRI A&E department in February 2016 I wrote to the then Prime Minister David Cameron to register a complaint against the proposal.

I had done some research into the number of residents in Huddersfield and Halifax and showed that Huddersfield has a larger population and that it was on the increase with the university taking more students.

I listed the problems with the time it could take an ambulance to get from the centre of Huddersfield to Halifax hospital due the poor road layout and even more so in winter.

I asked the Prime Minister to help in stopping this stupid idea.

I received a letter back from Downing Street stating that my letter had been passed to the Department of Health.

In March a letter arrived from the Department of Health stating that: “Ministers appreciate there are local concerns about the future of A&E services in Huddersfield. However, it is for the local NHS to make decisions about local services.”

The letter went on:“The government is clear that all service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will get better results for patients.

“It believes that it is right that decisions are led by local clinicians who best understand the healthcare needs of their local populations, in consultation with local people.

“Local health organisations in Calderdale and Huddersfield have been working for a number of years to develop a plan for the future provision of high quality services. The NHS in Calderdale and Huddersfield is working to adapt to challenges such as an ageing population, higher rates of long term and lifestyle related illness and limited resources.

“The local NHS believes the way services are currently organised in Huddersfield and Halifax is not safely and effectively meeting patient needs.

“The case for a change and the proposals are explained in detail on websites of local clinical commissioning groups.”

So there we are then, just a load of codswallop from the NHS.

And now it has gone back to Jeremy Hunt to make a decision but I am not holding my breath that it will be the right one.

Of course, if the A&E is moved to Halifax I wonder how long it will be before someone realises that a mistake has been made and a new hospital with an A&E is needed in Huddersfield and who will be responsible for the blunder.

The fight by our Hands off HRI people has been great and I hope it is successful. NOW we know how much of our licence fee is spent is it not time to privatise the BBC given that the Tories are obsessed with privatisation.

I am sure people would not be so angry if some of this money was diverted to the NHS which would have an impact on people’s lives.

The media promotes all of this celebrity cult, many of which have little or no talent, but this is what we call modern Britain.

Bring back the 1950s, 60s and 70s – at least we had better values then.