PLANS to move the final services from a 100-year-old hospital are moving ahead, with people asked for their views as part of a review. 

Shipley Hospital’s outpatient physiotherapy and community therapy services are set to be moved to alternative sites.

Plans to close the facility – which is just over 100 years old now and was described as "disgusting" by councillors four years ago – first emerged in 2019.

But the pandemic led to a pause in the controversial closure.

Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership has now announced the ongoing review of the health facility is restarting.

The partnership has identified alternative locations at Westbourne Green, in Manningham, and Eccleshill Community Hospitals, which it says are less than five miles away from Shipley Hospital.

The facility is now unsuitable for modern health services and a “major refurbishment would be very expensive, therefore not providing value for money for the taxpayer,” the partnership said last December.

The then Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group said in its public consultation at the end of 2019 that the facility posed “issues for staff and patients due to its age and condition” and that there were frequently problems with the roof and fabric of the building.

People are now being asked to take part in a survey about what is important to them when the services are moved to a new location.

This will be available until August 4 this year.

Helen Farmer, programme director for access to care at the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership said: “We know that Shipley Hospital has been at the heart of the community for over 100 years, with many families having a personal connection to the building.

“Sadly, the age and structure of the building means that it’s not possible to improve the standard to that of a modern, purpose-built, health facility.

“Based on the insight from previous engagement with the local community and taking into account the space and facilities needed to deliver therapy services, we have identified new locations for these services at Westbourne Green and Eccleshill Community Hospitals.

“These services will also continue to be available at a range of other locations, including general practice and in people’s homes when needed.

“By moving services out of Shipley Hospital into modern facilities, means that we can future proof these services in locations that provide improved facilities for patients and staff.

“Both locations are less than five miles from Shipley Hospital.”

The Health and Care Partnership has published a detailed involvement document and answered frequently asked questions to give more information about the plans, why services have to move, and the proposed new locations.

These can all be found here: engagebdc.com/shipley-hospital

Drop-in events will be taking place during July 2023, where people can ask questions and share their views.

The closure has been heavily criticised over recent years and councillors on Bradford Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee questioned whether the NHS had deliberately run down the hospital to justify closing it in a meeting at the start of August 2019.

They were left in shock after a tour of the building where they encountered a crumbling roof and overflowing toilet in an area closed off to the public.

But NHS staff refuted claims they had purposely run the building down.

Shipley MP Philip Davies said last December that any services from the hospital should be provided in a “local, convenient location” for the town.

The building on Kirkgate is a converted house, first built over a century ago.