Health bosses are expected to announce on Wednesday whether a hospital’s A&E department will close.
It is expected that the accident and emergency department at either Huddersfield Royal Infirmary or Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, will shut as part of a shake-up plan of local NHS services.
It has been rumoured that Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH) will take the hit and instead focus on planned admissions as part of the Right Care, Right Time, Right Place (RCRTRP) plan.
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) will continue to run an A&E department but will also provide other services.
Local NHS chiefs are expected to announce their preferences on Friday before the decision is announced at a public meeting at Briar Court Hotel, Birchencliffe, on January 20.
They will decide whether the plan is ready to be revealed to the public and if it is, unveil the locations of hospital services, including inpatient services and planned operations.
The public, as well as health professionals, will then be invited to have their say on the plan.
The unveiling of the RCRTRP plan was scheduled for September but it was delayed because the trust which runs HRI and CRH had been unable to submit a plan demonstrating it was financially stable.
Concern has been raised by health campaigners that having just one A&E will be unsafe for people living at a greater distance from the department.
But Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have said the current configuration is financially unsustainable.
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A spokesperson for the trust, which manages NHS services in Huddersfield and Halifax, said: “The CCGs are single minded in their determination to drive forward with changes which will improve the quality, safety and sustainability of health services on behalf of
our population, but we know that doing that in a way which commands the engagement, participation and understanding of our population is vital if we are to be successful...
“We know that significant changes are required in order to ensure health and social care services are fit for the future.”
There will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions. These must be submitted in writing by 5pm on Monday (January 18).
