WE are about to enter another stage in the long running saga to provide a replacement hospital for Otley's Wharfedale General.

Many public meetings and consultations have taken place over the years and in the meantime, the hospital has become a shadow of its former self - starved of services and deprived of new facilities.

In all that time, the people of Otley have refused to lie down and see their hospital go forever and have fought tooth and nail to see it retained in the town - rather than see it be relocated to High Royds Hospital in Menston.

Now, the health trust is about to reveal what is likely to be on offer at the new hospital. One thing is for sure, we can stop calling it Wharfedale 'General'.

Without a massive change of policy, Wharfedale Hospital will not have acute medical services. Patients will not be able to go there in an emergency, women will not be able to go there to have babies and specialist surgery will be carried out at the established centres of excellence - in Leeds.

Health chiefs argue that patients can be better cared for by surgeons who carry out procedures all the time other than on the odd occasion. Therefore, the more patients brought to them - the more skilled they get and the better it is for the patients.

Perhaps naively, there are those who still believe Otley's hospital can be once again what it used to be. Clearly, and regrettably, neither they nor the rest of us look like getting that.

In many walks of life we have to accept that times have changed. The health service is no different, and it is highly likely that this new type of hospital is the best we are going to get.

At least it would be new - and it would be in Otley.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.