LATEST NEWS: Plans to close old hospital move ahead with new sites identified for services

A DISTRICT hospital could be shut within the next year - with all its services moved to other sites.

Shipley Hospital currently offers outpatient services like radiology, physiotherapy, counselling and mental health services, including services provided by the voluntary sector.

But plans are in place to move all of those services out of Shipley Hospital by April 2020, with the building being sold on for redevelopment.

The proposed closure is being discussed by Bradford Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee when it meets on Thursday afternoon.

The building on Kirkgate is a converted house, first built over a century ago, and at the meeting members will be told that much of the property is unusable.

A report into the proposed closure says the building is currently used to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to provide outpatient services, by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust to provide older people’s mental health services and by Bradford Bereavement Support to offer counselling sessions.

It adds: “Following a request to relocate some services to St Luke’s Hospital, the Bradford district and Craven CCGs and BTHFT - together with NHS Property Services which owns and manages the site - have reviewed the current utilisation of the site.”

If the closure goes ahead, the radiology services would be moved to St Lukes, services for older people and voluntary services moved to other Shipley facilities, and clinical and physiotherapy services moved to Eccleshill Community Hospital.

The changes “would release the Shipley Hospital site for development” - the committee will be told.

Explaining the current condition of the building, the report adds: “In May 2010, the first floor in-patient care ward was closed due in the main to significant fire safety issues. This space is now unused. The building also has a basement and a second floor but these are not lettable as they contain facilities such as the boiler room, and staff changing rooms.

“The building continues to pose issues for staff and patients due to its age and condition with frequent roof and boiler issues. Whilst it is safe to provide services to patients on the ground floor, the age and structure of the building mean it is not possible to bring it up to the standard of a modern health facility.

“We expect the environment that we care for our citizens in, and we ask our staff to provide services from, to be high quality, functional, in good condition and cost effective. Shipley Hospital does not meet these expectations and is part of our health and care estate where we have a significant backlog of costs which are needed to maintain our buildings. Following the closure of the community beds and the risk associated with providing clinical services from this vacant space, the CCG has continued to pay for the space in this building (known as void space costs when no tenant can be found and the building/rooms lay empty) which is a cost to the health system of £72,000 per annum.

“NHS Property Services has been unable to rent out the remaining space in the building which means 45 per cent of it is currently vacant.”

A public consultation on the proposed changes will begin in September.

The committee meets in City Hall at 4.30pm.

A spokesman for the NHS organisations in Bradford associated with Shipley Hospital said: “Proposals for Shipley Hospital are at an early stage and, before any decision is made, will be subject to engagement and consultation with local people, our partners and other stakeholders.

“We believe that people should receive the best care possible in modern, local health facilities.  However, Shipley Hospital is a 100-year-old converted house and, while much of the space within it is unused, the rest needs considerable investment to make it fit for purpose.  With space in other, more suitable NHS premises available for use locally, we are looking at the possibility of relocating the existing services and closing Shipley Hospital.

“Should it be decided in the future that the hospital will close, current staff and services will be relocated to other, more suitable, premises.”