Campaigners vow to fight go-ahead for A&E closure
Campaigners furious at hospital plans
CAMPAIGNERS HAVE vowed to fight on after controversial proposals to downgrade a Yorkshire hospital’s A&E unit were given the green light.
A meeting of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield agreed yesterday to centralise services, which would leave Huddersfield without a full A&E department.
All emergency care would be provided at Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax, a move which health managers say will improve care and save £18m a year.
The decision angered campaigners and MPs who have been fighting for both hospitals to retain their A&Es, saying patients would be put at risk if they had to travel further for lifesaving treatment.
As the governing bodies made their unanimous decision, members of the audience shouted “shame” and after the meeting, Dewsbury and Mirfield Labour MP Paula Sherriff said she was “devastated”. “We will continue to fight, we have to,” she said.
“I will join other MPs in the area to fight against this proposal that I believe will cost lives.
She added: “I am not scaremongering – I know what happens when they take services away.”
A joint meeting of the two CCGs decided to go ahead to the next stage of proposals, which will see more details decided before a final decision is taken.
The shake-up would mean Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) is rebuilt and would house an urgent care centre, as well as carry out more planned operations. Calderdale Royal Hospital would have an A&E unit and be expanded by up to 300 beds.
Mike Foster, chairman of campaign group Hands Off HRI, said campaigners had expected the decision but added: “They have not listened to public interest.
“This is completely financially driven but they have got a long, long way to go.”
He said the campaigners were considering taking legal action in future. Councillors on a Yorkshire-wide joint scrutiny committee also could ask Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to intervene.
HEALTH BOSSES have approved controversial plans to centralise hospital services in Halifax and Huddersfield.
To shouts of “shame” from campaigners, a meeting of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield agreed the move.
The proposed shake-up would mean A&E care would only be provided at Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will be rebuilt and its A&E downgraded.
Before the decision was taken at the Cedar Court Hotel at Ainley Top, around 50 placard-waving protesters outside chanted “Hands Off HRI”.
The joint meeting of the two CCGs – which was punctuated by shouts of disapproval from audience members – decided to go ahead to the next stage, drawing up a full business case where more details of how the plan would work will be decided.
The meeting was also told it was not yet clear whether the Government would provide the £291m funding needed.
As members of the governing bodies unanimously approved the proposals, angry campaigners shouted “you are a disgrace” and “lives are going to be in your hands”.
Health bosses say the shake-up will tackle a £280m funding gap and that it will be safer to provide emergency care at a single A&E, as well as providing quicker access to X-rays and scans.
Under the plans, the 400-bed Huddersfield Royal Infirmary would be replaced with a smaller 120-bed hospital at Acre Mills, where more planned procedures would be carried out. All emergency care for adults and children will be provided at Calderd- ale Royal Hospital, which would be expanded by 300 beds.
Jen Mulcahy, programme manager for the proposals, told the meeting: “No change is not an option. We cannot remain as weare.”
She described work done during a “deliberation phase” which followed a 14-week consultation on the plans.
It found 67 per cent of people who responded felt they would be negatively affected. Three-quarters were Huddersfield residents compared to only 28 per cent of people from Calderdale.
The proposals sparked a largescale campaign to keep both A&E units open, while concerns have also been raised by Kirklees Local Medical Committee, which represents 200 GPs in Huddersfield and North Kirklees.
It said it was “deeply sceptical” about the plan and rejected it on the grounds of cost and safety.
The CCGs said concerns would be addressed in the next phase and bodies including local councillors would be asked their views before a final decision was reached.
No change is not an option. We cannot remain as we are. Jen Mulcahy, programme manager