Huddersfield Royal Infirmary vascular change 'will steal essential services'

Plans have been unveiled to move some vascular services from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to Leeds and Bradford

Health officials are planning to cut a specialist service at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) and move patients to Leeds or Bradford.

Currently, vascular services - the reconstruction, unblocking or bypassing of arteries - are carried out at Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.

But now officials say the more complex cases should be dealt with at either Leeds or Bradford.

Campaigners Hands Off HRI the plan was "another body blow for Huddersfield".

In August 2018 controversial plans to close A&E services at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary were axed by NHS bosses.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust had drawn up plans to close the hospital and replace it with a smaller unit.

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Now NHS England North East and Yorkshire says it is launching a public consultation on vascular services at Leeds General Infirmary, Bradford Royal Infirmary and HRI and wants people to offer their views.

The proposal is thought to potentially affect 800 patients a year who would have their treatment moved from Huddersfield to Bradford, NHS officials said.

The distance from HRI to the hospital in Leeds is 18.9 miles and 14.9 miles to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Mike Forster, chair of Hands off HRI, said: "This proposal is another body blow to people of Huddersfield, which will see an essential service stolen from us alongside the proposal to relocate acute and emergency care to Halifax.

"This town will find itself without essential NHS services.

"We are totally opposed to all these proposals and have a proven track record in beating back anything that will take away essential services from our town."