Health bosses are staying tight-lipped on a plan which could see the closure on one A&E department in either Huddersfield or Halifax – but it looks highly likely that one will change radically.
And both will retain midwife-led maternity clinics.
The hospital shake-up plan is expected to be revealed next month following a meeting of health chiefs on January 20.
While no official details have been given, it has been suggested that Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will focus on emergency care while Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, will focus on day cases and planned surgery.
But bosses remained quiet about the location of services at a meeting on Friday, attended by health professionals, voluntary providers and councillors.
Top brasses at Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale (Clinical Commissioning Groups) CCGs, however, revealed that emergency services would be concentrated at ‘Hospital A’.
This includes emergency child services, intensive care, emergency pregnancy services and complex and unplanned surgery.
‘Hospital B’ would focus on day cases and planned surgery.
Both hospitals would have midwife-led maternity clinics, day case surgery and outpatient services.
But a presentation delivered to professionals, volunteers and politicians at an invite-only meeting on Friday gave no detail of the location of these services.
It said: “The clinical model does not indicate a preferred site for services; it is based on clinical evidence and not location.”
But the presentation added: “It does show which services should be located together.”
A spokesperson for both CCGs said: “We need to maintain high quality, safe local health services that meet current needs and are sustainable into the future.
“Things can’t stay the same because advances in medicine are changing the way we treat illness and injury, demand for services is increasing, for example as a result of a growing and aging population, people’s expectations of healthcare are changing and in some cases increasing, the need to provide care 24/7, people want as much care delivered close to home as possible, the cost of healthcare is increasing. There are a range of national and local workforce challenges. Both providers and commissioners face tough financial challenges over the coming years.
“We also have a duty to ensure that we use NHS resources efficiently, that our plans deliver high quality and safe care for all and meet key national standards and that they reflect national guidance and available evidence.”
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The hospital shake-up plan, officially called ‘Right Care, Right Time, Right Place’, received backing from regional health experts earlier this week.
