Final phase of hospital shake up

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust’s Acute Hospital reconfiguration (AHR) plan will reach its final phase in September with the centralisation of services at Pinderfields Hospital.

Dewsbury and Pontefract hospitals will do more planned NHS procedures under the shake-up.

Pinderfields will become a centralised A&E centre as Dewsbury’s emergency department is downgraded to an urgent care centre.

The plan raised safety fears over longer journey times to hospital.

But Mid Yorkshire said in a statement: “Consolidating specialist and critical care onto one site will mean the most seriously ill patients get faster access to senior clinicians with the right skills, which will mean they are more likely to make a good recovery, whilst patients with less serious or urgent care needs will still be able to receive all of their treatment locally.”

Pontefract A&E could also be downgraded under a further re-organisation of services planned by Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group.

To take part in a survey on the plan for Pontefract log on to www.healthwatchwakefield.co.uk