Hospital chiefs have been handed a challenge over the plans for A&E care in Huddersfield.
The gauntlet was thrown down by successful Huddersfield businessman and Giants owner Ken Davy, who insists that all options must be considered.
Mr Davy, who has run hugely-successful finance companies for years, said: “In all organisations, in all business, there have to be difficult decisions.
“But they are always made after all the options are considered and in this case, we do not know all the options.
“There could be other ways for the services to be reconfigured and I would ask the powers that be to tell us what all the options are.
“The hospital and health trusts have massive budgets and massive expenditure but A&E is only one part of the service they provide here. Before any decision is taken, we should all have the chance to consider all the options”.
Mr Davy ironically made his plea after getting stuck in traffic on Calderdale Way between Huddersfield and Halifax.
The road is the route that patients and visitors would have to take if the A&E services moved from the Royal Infirmary to Calderdale Royal Hospital.
“They have a duty to spell out to the people of Huddersfield and Halifax what options there could be.
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“We can only make sensible judgements once we have been given all the information.
“I am strongly against the unit being closed and when they are weighing up the decisions they have to consider the massive incovenience it would cause and the risk to impinging on the so-called Golden Hour, which is so crucial after an accident or a heart attack.
“It is a nightmare scenario but we have to look at all implications”.
Delays on the roads between Huddersfield and Halifax also concerned Tom Ross.
Watch: Ambulance battles rush-hour traffic on A629
He watched an ambulance with its blue lights flashing stuck for nearly a minute at lunchtime in Halifax Road, Birchencliffe.
Tom said: “I snapped this ambulance heading towards Halifax from Huddersfield at a standstill for nearly a minute at lunchtime, approaching the Ainley Top roundabout
“It was stuck due to traffic and it wasn’t even in rush hour. The ambulance had blue lights flashing but couldn’t get through because of the traffic and red traffic signals further ahead.”
