The plan to leave Huddersfield with a tiny 64-bed hospital should be thrown out, an MP has said.
Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker has said she is “appalled” at the revelations that the cuts to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will be even bigger than first thought.
The recently elected Labour MP has called for them to be scrapped.
And she has criticised NHS chiefs for putting money ahead of patient safety.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman has accused health bosses of effectively closing the whole hospital.
On Thursday, it was revealed that hospital bosses had scaled back their plans for the small “planned care” hospital at Acre Mills in Lindley, from 120 beds to just 64.
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, which has more than 400 beds, is earmarked for demolition under the plan to shift the vast majority of in-patient care and emergency care to Halifax.
Hospital chiefs are yet to reveal what would happen to the huge infirmary site.
It is thought it is likely to be sold for housing.
Mrs Walker said the whole plan would have been scrapped if Labour had formed a government.
“They talk about compassionate care in the proposals, but this is not compassionate at all,” she said.
“The government has found £1.5bn to secure 10 votes from the DUP but when it comes to finding money for local healthcare there is none.
“I’m absolutely appalled at these latest proposals.
“There’s a large reduction in beds at a time when there aren’t enough – how’s that going to work?
“290,000 people are going to have what is a cottage hospital, I’m just outraged.
“It’s time to throw it out and start again from scratch and see what the people of Huddersfield need.”
Mrs Walker said she would be attending the crunch Joint Health Scrutiny Committee (JHSC) council meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall at 10.30am on Friday, to urge councillors to step in and refer the plans for independent review.
She has vowed to write another letter to Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt and is hoping Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth will get involved in trying to stop the plans.
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman, said he was still working on his “Plan B” to launch a new teaching hospital in partnership with Huddersfield University.
Following a meeting with health chiefs on Friday he said he had told them their plans and their apparent secrecy were scaring people.
He said: “I told them people are very upset.
“It isn’t just closing A&E now, it’s closing the whole hospital.
“64 beds is nothing – you’re going to have to put minds at rest.”
He added: “I’m pushing hard to make the teaching hospital idea stack up.
“That idea has not gone away, we’re looking for money.
“The Secretary of State agrees with me that we need more teaching hospitals. If he agrees then we need the money.
“The Vice Chancellor at the university can’t make the figures stack up at the moment but I think if it was done in partnership with another university, perhaps in Manchester, then maybe he could.
“I’m still excited about it as I think it is a possibility.
“This is the best Plan B and there are serious people in town who think it’s a good idea.
“I’m going to be talking to NHS England and anybody else who can be persuaded to back it.”
Mr Sheerman said he expected the JHSC to refer the plan to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel – the specialist group that advises the Department for Health on restructuring proposals.
He revealed he could not be at the meeting next Friday as he has to be overseas for family reasons.
Hands Off HRI has said if there is an increase in patient deaths it will be on the heads of local NHS bosses.
It is urging hundreds of people to turn up to the council meeting in a show of disgust at the proposals.
A statement from the group said: “This proposal is actually worse than their original plan.
“It is a huge slap in the face for local councillors, MPs and the general population.
“The hospital and the CCGs have chosen to ignore every single recommendation from local politicians who were seeking to safeguard public health in Calderdale and Kirklees.
“Instead they have bullishly and arrogantly pressed ahead with their scandalous proposals.
“This, after a lengthy consultation which now very clearly turns out to have been at best a tick box exercise, and at worst a cynical attempt to fool the local population, into thinking they would get a better service.
“They have totally ignored local public opinion and have cynically and blatantly dismissed councillors’ concerns.
“The CCG stand condemned as the unaccountable body which will be responsible for future patient deaths.
“We remain very concerned that opening up the rebuilding work to a private provider could see hostile bids from private companies which could take over the entire establishment, as has happened in other parts of the country.
“Hands Off HRI will not allow this to go ahead.
“We are urging everyone to turn out in force on Friday at Huddersfield Town Hall from 9.30am where these plans will be presented to local councillors at 10.30am.
“We demand that councillors throw out these plans and refer the whole matter to the Secretary of State.
“We demand our local MPs work with all local campaign groups to fight these proposals all the way to the top.
“We will be instructing our legal advisors to prepare to fight this all the way.
“A huge fighting fund has been raised for this moment and we are ready.
“Their case will be subjected to clinical and financial forensic scrutiny.
“Their plan will not hold up and if they cannot satisfy our requirements, then we will see them in court.
“Lewisham won their battle to save their local hospital in the courts and so will we.
“This proposal will be defeated.
“The CCG will not bulldoze our hospital.
“This is definitely NOT a done deal.
“We appeal to everyone to support our campaign and help us maintain all local hospital services.”
Two other NHS activist groups, ‘Calderdale and Kirklees 999 Call for the NHS (CK999)’ and ‘Huddersfield Keep our NHS Public’ have criticised councillors for letting the hospital trust off the hook.
It has not produced detailed fully costed plans in time for the July 21 meeting, as requested and expected by councillors.
In a joint statement they said: “Campaigners are angry and perplexed that the councillors on the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee have allowed themselves to be fobbed off by the hospital trust and the clinical commissioning groups.
“How can councillors decide if the hospital reconfiguration plans meet the health care needs of local people on the basis of a half baked draft that is subject to revision by NHS Improvement and the Treasury?
“Without access to the proper documents, the committee can’t carry out its duty to scrutinise significant NHS and social care service changes and make sure they do not damage the health interests of the public in Calderdale and Kirklees.
“This is why NHS campaigners say councillors must now report to the Secretary of State that the NHS organisations’ consultation with the committee has been inadequate.”
Referring to the plan to use a new £298m PFI loan to pay for the extension of Calderdale Royal and new build in Huddersfield, Jenny Shepherd from CK999 added: “We all know from experience that the Private Finance Initiative is a rotten deal for the public.
“Going down the PFI route a second time is either mad, bad or a combination of the two.
“At the public consultation meeting in Huddersfield last July, Owen Williams said that the Calderdale Royal Hospital PFI contract was at the root of the hospitals trust’s problems and was the main reason for the proposed hospitals cuts and changes.
“The PFI contract for Calderdale Royal Hospital is a total rip off.
“Service charges, interest and debt repayment take a significant proportion of Calderdale’s annual NHS budget.
“The PFI debt has changed hands at least ten times, sold on at massive profit by companies that mostly pay no tax in the UK.
“The public has strongly suspected all along that PFI would be used to pay for the new buildings.
“It turns out we were right – but we get no satisfaction from this. On the contrary.”
