SICK children and new mums could be at risk following a shakeup at Dewsbury and District Hospital, it is claimed.
Campaigner Karen Rowling says families may soon have to travel to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield for vital treatment.
And the mum-of-four – who is running as a Labour candidate for Dewsbury West in the next elections – claims action must be taken now to stop the move.
However, Dewsbury Conservative MP Simon Reevell claims that presently there is nothing to worry about and those speaking out are just “scaremongering.”
The Examiner can clarify there are proposals as part of an on-going review to make changes to the future of hospital services covered by the Mid Yorkshire Trust.
One of the proposals put forward is that expectant mums from Dewsbury who need a specialist doctor to help them give birth will be treated at Pinderfields.
And sick and premature babies will no longer be treated at Dewsbury but at Pinderfields. Any remaining maternity units at Dewsbury would be led by midwives.
It is also proposed that sick children who need to stay in hospital for over 24 hours will no longer be looked after at Dewsbury and would go to purpose-built facilities at Pinderfields.
Children who are in a less serious condition would still be treated at Dewsbury.
Ms Rowling, who led the campaign to keep Castle Hall School in Mirfield open when Kirklees threatened it with closure in 2008, said that Dewsbury’s MP Mr Reevell was taking a “far too relaxed” attitude to the situation.
She said: “When I’m on the doorstep many people have been voicing their concerns about what is happening at the hospital.
“I wish I could tell people not to worry but the truth is I would lying if I said that. All I can tell people is that I will fight to the bitter end to retain key services to at our hospital.”
Ms Rowling said that in addition to vital services moving out of Dewsbury, patients would have to pay higher transport costs to get to Wakefield.
She said: “During Labour’s years of investment in our hospital, when maternity and A&E were guaranteed and secure, local Liberal Democrats had a ‘Save our Hospital’ petition every single year. I have a really simple question for the Lib Dems today: Where is your petition now?
“You can’t play politics with important issues like this and that’s what local Lib Dems have been doing for years.”
Mr Reevell has said residents should be “vigilant” about the Trust’s current review proposals – but they should be careful not to fall foul of “scaremongering.” He said: “What politicians shouldn’t do is play on people’s fears to help their own position.
“If it comes to the point where the trust does something that impacts local people and it needs taking on I will be the first person to stand at the barricades with the next guy.”
Tracey McErlain-Burns, acting chief executive at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, told the Examiner no decisions have yet been made on how the trust will be restructured.
She said: “We have been clear that we are reviewing all our services as part of our clinical services strategy for the next five years.
“This is to ensure we are able to safely, effectively and sustainably deliver high quality services to our patients across all our sites for the future and we are looking at children’s and maternity services across the trust as part of this.
“We are continuing to work with local people, partners and staff to help us review and develop a plan for the best way of providing services to meet local people’s needs ahead of formal public consultation”.
