High noon for Huddersfield Royal Infirmary? Court case or Independent Panel verdict?

TCI Commentary:

The latest developments in the long-running saga of Calderdale’s reconfiguration of Hospital services illustrates why everyone gets so confused. Following last year’s public consultation on plans to centralise A & E services at the hospital in Halifax, there has been a vocal campaign to reverse the decision and support the alternative option of basing the new service at Huddersfield. Or maybe even, keep both open.

Featured below are:

  • The Huddersfield Daily Examiner’s story that following reference to the Secretary of State, the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) Report is imminent.
  • The BBC’s account of campaign group, Hands of HRI’s ‘major legal victory’

That last story is over-egging it a bit. What’s happened is that they have been given permission to challenge the decision through a Judicial Review – having previous been refused. True, it is a procedural victory, but no-one should get too excited.

The IRP findings will be important. Recent referrals in the cases of Stoke-on-Trent and Horton Hospitals highlighted significant flaws in the approach taken by NHS Managers. Will Calderdale fare better?

 

Article – HRI’s fate has been decided … but it could be months until we find out:

The fate of HRI again rests with Jeremy Hunt. Independent advisors have now told the Secretary of State for Health whether they agree with Huddersfield health chiefs’ plans or not.

But it could be weeks or even months before Mr Hunt tells the public what his decision is. Mr Hunt commissioned a report by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) in January.

The IRP has now finished its work and given it to Mr Hunt. The report could recommend a deeper probe into the controversial proposal to transfer most health care to Halifax and demolish the infirmary.

Alternatively, it could say local NHS officials have got it right and the plan can go ahead. If the latter occurs it will spark legal challenges by Let’s Save HRI – one of the campaign groups bidding to block the unpopular plan.

Hands Off HRI has already had its bid to hold a judicial review of the proposal turned down by a judge in London. It is due to appeal that decision at Leeds Crown Court next week.

The Department for Health told the Examiner it could not reveal how long it would take Mr Hunt to make his decision.

Karl Deitch, the Huddersfield tradesman whose Facebook post sparked the huge public campaign to save the hospital, said they were hopeful the IRP would back them.

Mr Deitch, chairman of Let’s Save HRI, said: “We are confident that Jeremy Hunt will make the correct call and keep our beloved HRI open.

“We have been campaigning tirelessly for over two years, and he is fully aware of our campaign and standpoint.

“We hope the Secretary of State makes the right decision and does it quite fast so we can all rest up!”

He added: “Senior NHS experts, clinicians, building experts and NHS finance experts have all looked at the hospital’s case and they say it does not stack up.

“We hope he sees the reasons why we have been fighting so hard to keep our hospital open – for 500,000 people in Huddersfield and Kirklees who depend on it, day in, day out.

“We are fighting to keep our services intact in Huddersfield for our families and our people, and not from any political standpoint.”

Cristina George from Hands Off HRI said: “We know that Jeremy Hunt can sit on the decision without making it public for as long as he wants.

“We’re not expecting to hear anything in the near future – but I would love for us to be proved wrong.”

 

Article originally appeared on The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

 

Article – Huddersfield Royal Infirmary: Downgrade plan to be reviewed

Campaigners have been granted permission for a judicial review into a plan to downgrade Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) and move A&E services.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust aims to close the HRI, replace it with a smaller 64-bed unit and shift A&E care to Halifax.

The Hands Off HRI group argued the move could put lives at risk and gathered evidence to push for a judicial review.

At the High Court in Leeds, a judge granted campaigners a full hearing.

A venue and date have yet to be fixed.

Under the plans, all emergency acute and high-risk planned care would be transferred to Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax and the 400-bed HRI would be closed and replaced.

People in Huddersfield would have to be taken to Halifax, Wakefield or Barnsley for full emergency treatment, or across the Peak District to Oldham or east Manchester.

The trust said it believed the proposed reconfiguration of hospital services is “the best way to secure safe and sustainable services into the future”.

Campaigners pushed for a review on several grounds, including the potential risks arising from “increased travel times” and how financial issues would not be solved by entering “a further and very substantial” Private Finance 2 (PF2) commitment.

They complained the full business plan for the move was “premature and incomplete” as presented.

His Honour Judge Gosnell granted the judicial review on five of the eight counts.

Reacting to the move, Labour MP Thelma Walker called it a “victory for common sense”.

The Colne Valley MP said: “This is a really positive step forward, my thanks go to the thousands of people who have campaigned, chipped in money and supported the campaign in any way they could.

“We need to be ready for the next steps in the fight to save our hospital.”

Andrew Haigh, chair of Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We note the judge’s findings today and we will continue to work with our healthcare partners, local communities, scrutiny and campaign groups.”

 

Article originally appeared on BBC News

The Institute cannot confirm the accuracy of this story or confirm that it presents a balanced view. If you feel this is inaccurate we would welcome your perspective and evidence that this is the case.

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