HEALTH chiefs have sought to reassure councillors that hip and knee replacement surgery will be available at the new £15 million Otley Wharfedale Hospital.

Otley town councillors had written to the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust looking for reassurances that such surgery would be provided when the new hospital opens next year.

They raised their concerns after receiving information from a member of the orthopaedic team at Leeds General Infirmary.

Now, the trust has replied to the council to say the surgery will take place - but only if 'clinical safety' allows.

Councillor Jim Spencer, who argued successfully for overnight, orthopaedic surgery at an independent inquiry into services at the new hospital more than two years ago, said he could not understand why the issue was now in doubt.

He said: "A member of the orthopaedic surgery team at the Leeds General Infirmary has informed me that they have heard from senior administrators that there is no intention to carry out orthopaedic surgery at the new hospital in Otley when it is built.

"We are talking about hips and knee replacements which need overnight stays in hospital.

"I attended for the town council and put our case to the inquiry into the matter.

The surgeon who carried out the inquiry concluded that such surgery could take place at Otley. My understanding has been that this facility is to be a central part of the development, it now appears that it is under threat."

In the letter to the council, the trust's director of communications and corporate affairs, Adam Cairns, said that it was the intention to include a 'laminar flow' clean air facility in one of the operating theatres at the new hospital.

In his letter, he explained: "This is important because without such a facility it would not be appropriate to perform orthopaedic surgery."

But although he adds that the trust now anticipates being able to carry out day case joint surgery, it will be where 'clinical safety allows'.

Coun Spencer said although he was encouraged by the letter, he could not understand why there was any doubt at all.

"The point is, what does where clinical safety allows mean? We shall be writing back to the trust suggesting that clinical safety does allow because that was what the inquiry was all about.

"It is suggesting that clinical safety might not allow the surgery to take place. There are obviously some individuals who are very worried about it taking place, but I would say it was the whole point of having the inquiry two or three years ago."

A trust spokesman said the joint surgery would not normally take place as day cases, but it was anticipated that it would in the future - once the technology had improved sufficiently to allow it.

"These are not normally carried out as day cases, but it will be possible once the technology has improved," he said.

Councillor Graham Kirkland said he believed the trust was giving itself an excuse for not providing the surgery at the new Otley hospital.

"They're not saying they will not provide orthopaedic surgery, but they're giving themselves an excuse for not doing it."

But he stressed it was vitally important that joint surgery continued to take place in Otley.

"Otley has been a centre for joint surgery for 30 years and it is logical that it should continue.

"I'm sure all the GPs in Otley would welcome joint surgery at Otley because there is just not the facilities at Leeds to cope.

"As the population gets older there will be more demand for this type of surgery and it will become even more of a necessity."