‘Council should back legal battle for HRI’

for Huddersfield are being dictated by historic financial issues at Calderdale Royal Hospital rather than the healthcare needs of the people of Kirklees.

His letter says the proposals do not represent the right change, adding: “They are wrong because they are isolated plans for individual NHS organisations, not plans for the place of Kirklees and its people.”

It goes on: “The NHS itself has recognised that the time has come to plan for a place, not plan for individual organisations.

“We should base our plans on this principle, where we focus on doing the right things for local people, not on what is right for individual organisations or based on history.”

Clr Sheard said hospital bosses and CCG leaders seemed to be making decisions about the location of services “based on historic PFI investment rather than clinical and population needs.”

He added: “I would urge you to look at the plans in this context and would ask that you meet with me and fellow councillors to discuss how we can develop a plan that better meets the needs of our residents rather than the needs of the current organisations.”

Clr Sheard’s letter also raises the issue of services also being transferred away from Dewsbury to Wakefield by Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust.

He tells Mr Hunt Mid Yorkshire and CHFT appeared to have “contradictory presumptions...with each assuming that more people will be treated by the other trust.” He says: “The overall impact is that Kirklees will have no major in-patient, specialist out-patient or accident and emergency services located in the communities that they are there to serve.”