Deaths used as 'propaganda' for Huddersfield hospital shake-up

The trust said the proposed changes were prompted by national guidance

Campaigners against a hospital's closure have accused NHS bosses of using patient deaths as "propaganda" to justify the shake-up of acute services.

Cardiology, respiratory and elderly care services are currently run across two sites in Huddersfield and Halifax .

Case studies of four deaths have been put forward by the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust as reasons to centralise them at one site.

Campaigner Karl Deitch said: "This is the lowest of the low."

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The trust currently provides in-patient respiratory, cardiology and elderly medical services at both Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) and Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH) in Halifax.

Under the proposals, all cardiology and respiratory wards would move to Halifax and all elderly medical wards would go to Huddersfield.

Members of Kirklees Council's health and adult social care scrutiny panel are to give their views on the plan

It comes as the trust presses on with plans to eventually close HRI and replace it with a new, smaller hospital.

A document - to be reviewed by councillors next week - highlights four deaths "to illustrate the potential risks to patients with the current service model".

'Cherry-picking deaths'

In one incident, a heart attack patient in his 90s, referred to as "Patient B", was being treated at Huddersfield where staff were unfamiliar with the specialist equipment needed to save him.

The trust said with the proposed changes, he would have been admitted directly to Calderdale where staff would have been more familiar with the equipment.

It states: "Although Patient B might not have survived he would have had a greater chance with the best treatment options available to the doctors."

Mr Deitch, founder of Let's Save HRI, said: "It feels like they are cherry-picking deaths to use as propaganda to justify the woeful stripping of services at Huddersfield.

"It's abhorrent to almost pass the blame onto staff when they are already working in such a demoralised environment."

Helen Barker, the trust's chief operating officer, said: "The case studies were included in the papers to give examples in support of why we are making these interim changes."