Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has finally stepped into the battle to save Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and the hospital is safe – for now.

Mr Hunt has pulled the plug on local health chiefs’ plans to demolish HRI and build a new urgent care centre across the road.

Under the Right Care Right Time Right Place plan Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Groups said change had to be made.

They drew up plans to flatten HRI and build a new smaller centre near Acre Mills while moving accident and emergency to Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax.

The plans – which met widespread opposition – were branded “unsafe.”

Health chiefs put the cost of their plans at £478.8 million and admitted they would need money from the Government.

The plans were referred to Mr Hunt by Kirklees Council’s joint health scrutiny committee who passed it to an Independent Review Panel (IRP).

The panel has now reported back to Mr Hunt saying there was a “wide variety of failings.” It warned that there were concerns over out-of-hospital care and the loss of beds.

It also said that it was “not clear” that funding for such a plan would be available.

The IRP, however, agreed that “maintaining the status quo” – ie keeping two hospitals – was not an option and that further detailed consultation was needed.

#HandsOffHRI Westminster visit. Campaign chairman Mike Forster being interviewed in Trafalgar Square

Mr Hunt said he had accepted the advice of the IRP and has sent the plans back to the drawing board.

Campaigners, backed by the Huddersfield Examiner, fought long and hard and Mr Hunt’s verdict was a cause for celebration, even though the war isn’t won.

Karl Deitch, whose initial Facebook campaign mobilised the town, said: “It is great that somebody in Mr Hunt’s position has finally listened.

“Around 44,000 people opposed this move from day one and we have always known it would not be good for the people of Huddersfield and Calderdale.

“It is amazing news that the Health Secretary now agrees with the campaigners and it shows to everyone who has put so much energy into fighting the plans that they have not wasted a single bit of energy.”

Christina George, secretary of Hands Off HRI, said she was elated at the news and admitted she shed a tear.

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“All the way along people thought it was a done deal and that we were wasting our time,” she said.

“It’s been two years and three months of absolute hell but we did it because we believed in what we were doing and this has justified everything we have said.”

Hands Off HRI had launched legal action to block the plans and had raised up to £20,000 to pay for a Judicial Review. A three-day hearing was scheduled to start at the High Court in Leeds on June 12.

With the plans now blown apart it was not clear whether the Trust and the CCGs would proceed to court.

Mike Forster, chairman of Hands Off HRI, said: “It is a recognition from the Secretary of State that the plans are flawed and it is almost impossible now for the CCG to go ahead as they wish. They must go back to the drawing board.”

Mr Forster said the decision “completely vindicated” campaigners’ view that the plans were unsafe.

He said he believed the CCG’s defence at the Judicial Review had been scuppered.

“I am not sure they can now mount a defence,” he said. “We will be speaking to our solicitors about what happens next.”

Yogi Amin, head of public law and human rights at Irwin Mitchell, who is representing Hands Off HRI, said campaigners had highlighted the “very same serious flaws in the process and plans” as the IRP.

He declined to speculate on whether the Judicial Review would go ahead and added: “We will now consider carefully the response of the CCGs and hospital trust board.”

Bert Jindal, secretary of Kirklees Local Medical Committee which represents local GPs and had opposed the plan, said: "We now have the really hard task of working together along with the hospital trust ,the CCGs ,the local councils and our local communities to devise a better solution so that we can continue to deliver the highest quality of health and community care to the people of Huddersfield and Calderdale. It is hoped that progress can be made in the next three months to start to consider better alternatives.”

Kirklees Local Medical Committee secretary Dr Bert Jindal

In a statement the trust and the CCGs said: “We have today received a copy of the IRP’s report to the Secretary of State and his letter of response.

“We note the views of the IRP. We will work with partners on the three areas requested by the Secretary of State and report back to him in three months.

“We also note that the report acknowledges that ‘no change’ is not an option and that change is needed to our current two site services to protect their safety and quality.”