CALLS have been made to prevent “infighting” in the NHS affecting the future of the Yorkshire Children’s Heart Unit.

The Kirklees Labour party has called on the Government to act to secure the future of Yorkshire’s only children’s heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary, where Huddersfield children receive treatment.

Kirklees Council Leader, Clr Mehboob Khan, dubbed the situation of one part of the NHS taking legal action against another over moves to re-align Children’s Heart Services as a “fiasco”.

It comes as a final decision has been delayed due to legal action being taken by a leading hospital over the consultation.

That same consultation put the Yorkshire children’s heart unit at risk, and if a decision is made to close it Huddersfield children with heart problems would have to travel to Liverpool or Newcastle for treatment.

Clr Mehboob Khan, who is Chair of the Kirklees Health and Well-Being Board, said: “We now have the sorry state of affairs where one part of the health service is battling it out in court against another part of the health service, wasting hundreds thousands of pounds on lawyers in the process.

“This huge cost can easily be avoided and taxpayers expect their taxes to be spent on healthcare.

“I am sure that the public cannot understand how this situation has been allowed to happen and why it is that the Government has not intervened in this ridiculous state of affairs.

“I am therefore asking the Secretary of State for Health to take notice of the wishes of 600,000 people who signed the petition against the closure of the Leeds unit – the largest petition ever in the history of the NHS – and put an end to the NHS infighting and the squandering of public money by making a ruling which retains the children’s heart unit in Leeds.”