Beds to be slashed in £38m shake-up at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust

But the scheme to make Pinderfields Hospital the district’s main A&E department would not leave the district’s hospitals in a “sustainable financial position”, it has emerged.

Health chiefs are considering a reorganisation which includes shifting critically-ill and injured patients from Pontefract and Dewsbury to Pinderfields.

Under the scheme Pontefract and Dewsbury would have units providing urgent care for minor injures, while Pinderfields would keep its consultant-led A&E and treat more emergencies.

Health bosses will decide whether to put it out to public consultation at a meeting on Thursday.

It is the preferred option of two schemes which set out a wide-ranging reorganisation of the trust.

An alternative plan would have seen Dewsbury keep its consultant-led A&E.

The reorganisation is expected to save millions of pounds at Mid Yorkshire, which faces a £26m deficit at the end of the financial year.

But an executive summary released ahead of Thursday’s meeting said the preferred option would need capital funding of almost £38.5m by 2016-17.

The report said both options “require a significant externally-funded financial support package” and “neither option provides a sustainable financial position for the period post-reconfiguration from 2016-17”.

The number of beds will reduce by 70 due to more patients being treated in the community and shorter hospital stays by 2016-17, the report said.

The preferred option would see a further 200 beds closed, although 50 new beds would be provided at Pinderfields.

Thursday’s meeting will be held from 10am at Ossett Town Hall.

Mike Potts, chief executive of NHS Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, said members of the public could attend to hear the discussions, and there would be an allocated slot for people to ask questions before a decision was made.