Councillors tasked with deciding if a hospital shake-up should be referred to the Health Secretary have published a catalogue of concerns about the controversial plan.
Throughout its six-page report the Kirklees and Calderdale Joint Health Scrutiny Committee criticises the Right Care Right Time Right Place proposal.
The plan would close Huddersfield’s A&E and centralise emergency care at Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax.
A decision on whether the plan will proceed is expected on October 20.
But the committee, of Kirklees and Calderdale councillors, may refer it to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt if they have sufficient misgivings about the proposal.
Plans 'dont address deficit'
In its list of 19 recommendations to local NHS bosses, the panel said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ that the plan did not fully address the recurring deficit at HRI and Calderdale Royal.
A spokesperson for NHS England, which is overseeing the proposal, has already admitted the plan would not eliminate the hospital trust’s deficit and was ultimately unsustainable.
The panel said: “The committee is extremely disappointed that the CCGs have not taken the opportunity to produce proposals that fully addresses the revenue deficit.
“The committee is concerned that if CHFT remains in deficit, then local services will not be sustainable and further reconfigurations may result.”
Can Calderdale cope?
The panel added it had ‘serious concerns’ about whether Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, could support an expanded emergency care centre and an urgent care unit.
And councillors said the plan, which would close Huddersfield’s A&E, failed to give adequate details about the role of proposed urgent care centres.
The panel said public confidence in the plan had been undermined by the lack of information about the centres which would provide urgent – but not emergency care – at HRI and Calderdale Royal.
The panel said: “The committee believes that the CCGs have not sufficiently explained the model of an urgent care centre to the public and how it will be resourced.
“This has contributed to a lack of public confidence in the proposals.”
The future of Huddersfield A&E
will be decided in
What about the 'staffing crisis'?
The committee said local NHS chief has failed to give ‘sufficient attention’ to the medical staffing crisis at both hospitals.
HRI and Calderdale are both struggling to recruit and retain enough doctors and nurses to staff their shifts.
The committee said: “The committee is not convinced that sufficient attention was given to this issue or that the plans sufficiently take into account the wider challenges that the NHS faces, particularly in recruiting specialist staff.”
'Give us a travel plan'
The panel demanded a travel plan that details the ‘absolute travel times and distances to both hospitals’ including ‘residents that live at the furthest outlying areas of Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield’.
Councillors also said the proposal was ‘inconsistent’ in detailing ways to reduce the demand on already stretched community and hospital services.
It also criticised local health bosses for failing to engage adequately with local GPs.
A spokesperson for Kirklees and Calderdale clinical commissioning groups, said all feedback would be considered.
