Health services could soon move to one of Huddersfield’s civic centres.
The Princess Royal Health Centre is to close with £10m of investment needed.
Hospital bosses told Kirklees councillors they were in talks about moving some of the Princess Royal Health Centre services to Civic Centre Three.
The move was discussed at yesterday’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel for Well-Being and Communities.
Catherine Riley, assistant director for service development at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust, outlined the results of patient feedback.
She said: “The reason why we are going to close the Princess Royal site is due to the costs – an upgrade is unaffordable for us going forward.
“We have limited capital and we need to use that for investment at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.”
She stressed that no services would cease – they would move elsewhere.
The Examiner reported last week how many services, including sexual health and audiology, will be based in the town centre.
Podiatry services – with 12,720 patients – will be split between two sites with 75% of service relocated to town centre and 25% of service relocated to Acre Mill at HRI.
Councillors on the Scrutiny Panel raised concerns about the future location of the Ellerslie Unit.
Hospital bosses haven’t decided on a new location and are due to begin formal consultation.
Their preferred option is a move to Calderdale Royal Hospital in a “centre of excellence” but during initial engagement some parents expressed concerns about travel.
Members of the panel agreed that the unit, for children with special needs, was a substantial change from current practice and they required more details.
Clr Viv Kendrick, Labour Heckmondwike, chairman of the panel, said: “The view of the panel is that we require consultation, but we’re pleased that’s what you were going to do anyway.
“What we do need to feel assured of is what that consultation will be and we need more details about that.”
Jane Gledhill, a voluntary co-optee on the panel, said: “For us to make a full decision we really need to know how you are going to consult, we need to see statistics, the different options and how people respond to services centralised or split.”
Clr Tony Brice, Lindley Conservative, raised concerns about parking when some more services move to HRI.
“We’ve massive problems on the side streets and moving even more services there won’t help us,” he said.
He was told that some services, including terminations, needed to be in hospital-owned buildings for dispensing obligations.
The full proposals will be put to the Clinical Commissioning Groups on December 6 and it will return to Scrutiny.
