The future shape of GP surgeries in Keighley will be explained at a public meeting next month.

Airedale Primary Care Group is holding its first public board meeting at Keighley Library on Tuesday, June 15, at 1.30pm, during which members will explain the changes to surgeries in the Keighley area.

As part of a government shake-up in the health service last year, surgeries have now been pulled together into different areas known as Patient Care Groups (PCGs). The amount of cash distributed to each surgery is now decided by a board of 13 which includes representatives from general pratices, social services, nurses, the local health authority and members of the public. The board will also look at the quality of health care within the patient care group.

Chairman Dr Maggie Helliwell explains: "PCGs formally came into being on April 1 and we are still in the early stages of how we are going to work a brandnew organisation. It marks a change from before because people working in Airedale are going to decide how the provision of health care in Airedale is provided and how the money is spent."

According to Dr Helliwell, local voluntary groups have already benefited from grants under the new system. The board is also in the process of appointing a new community worker in Keighley whose job it will be to concentrate on the more deprived areas.

Another radical move is the linking of all GPs' computers under one common system. Chief executive Kevin Ellis says: "At the moment GPs tend to have five or six different systems but we are trying to get a united system so that we all use common definitions."

The board meetings will be taking place on a monthly or bi-monthly basis in the future, and members of the public will be allowed to submit questions in advance.

Airedale Hospital's mortuary has been brought back to life after a five-month refurbishment. The mortuary has been provided with a facelift to ensure it complies with current health and safety legislation. The area had remained untouched since it was first constructed in 1970, and both time and new legislation had caught up with it. The project has involved the installation of separate 'dirty' and 'clean' areas to prevent the spread of infection.

Consultant Histopathologist John O'Dowd says: "During the upgrade the mortuary has been using temporary refrigeration spaces with very limited numbers, and it is remarkable that mortuary technicians Colin Stourton and Richard Allen have managed to accommodate the large number of bodies during the flu epidemic.

Work on a new Muslim prayer room at Airedale is progressing well. It is being constructed next to the chapel on the West side of the hospital following consultation with the local community.

The local Muslim community has so far raised £12,000 towards the prayer room.

Airedale NHS trust is also using the opportunity to build a disabled toilet facility on the West side of the hospital.

Students at Airedale Hospital will be handing out some hot tips as part of a national sun-awareness campaign. Students currently working towards their BSc in Health Visiting will be dispensing summer safety tips at Sainsbury's in Keighley on Friday June 4, from 10am to 4pm.

As part of Sun Awareness Week, the students, all nurses at Airedale, will be on hand to dispense valuable tips, leaflets and hats. Trainee health visitor Becky Wetwood says: "We will be informing people about sun cream and the importance of covering up to avoid sunburn."

, which is particularly important for children.'

The group of six students also hope to provide sun cream as part of the awareness day.

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