GPs in the Keighley district today criticised health bosses for ignoring their wishes over a radical shake-up which affects the Worth Valley.

Primary health services - family doctors and community nurses - are to be split into four groups in the Bradford district in a controversial shake-up of organisation in the area.

The decision made by regional NHS chiefs to create four primary care groups under Government plans to give doctors and community nurses a greater say in how health services are developed means GPs in Ilkley and Menston have lost a fight to link-up with colleagues in Otley and Guiseley.

Instead they will join a group also covering Bingley, Keighley, Haworth and Silsden.

Bradford Health Authority had supported a partnership between Ilkley, Menston, Otley and Guiseley GPs but the move was effectively blocked by health chiefs in Leeds who were against the link-up which crossed health authority boundaries.

The remaining three primary care groups in the area, which emerged following sometimes heated discussions between GPs, will cover north Bradford, inner city Bradford and west and south Bradford.

Ann Wagner, director of performance at Bradford Health Authority, said boards for the new groups would be formed in coming weeks and begin operating in April.

"We were happy to support the GPs in Ilkley but clearly there had to be a strong case for a cross-boundary primary care group and Leeds Health Authority made their decision," she said.

"Ilkley GPs will now be part of the process in forming the Worth Valley group."

Dr John Thompson, of the Menston and Guiseley Practice, said: "We feel that we have put a lot of effort into this, but despite having a very good and well founded plan, the Leeds Health Authority have gone against our wishes.

"They have made it quite difficult for some Bradford practices to fall in with a natural primary care group and we feel that this will be detrimental to the future care of our patients, although we will give it our best shot to make it work as well as possible.

"It's my opinion that the Leeds Health Authority put much more emphasis on the wishes of Leeds City Council than it did on the doctors and nurses on the ground in Leeds."

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