The shortfall in neonatal care at Bradford Royal Infirmary is not acceptable. It is appalling that large numbers of women in labour and babies in urgent need of specialist care are having to be transferred to other Yorkshire hospitals because there are insufficient facilities at their local hospital.

It cannot be right that new-born babies have to be taken miles to other hospitals when they are in urgent need of a special-care cot. Surely in these cases delay can be dangerous.

Nor can it be good for women in labour to be taken from the ward to which they have been admitted and transferred to Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax or Airedale. It is not only stressful for the mothers, but also makes life extremely difficult for families wanting to visit them in hospital.

This is much more than an occasional problem. There were 51 cases last year, suggesting a chronic shortage of resources. It must be particularly frustrating for the doctors and nurses at the BRI, who have the necessary expertise but lack the facilities.

It is absurd that a hospital as large and as busy as the BRI is not geared up to meet the demand for specialist-care cots. There is no question here of anything being mismanaged or of anyone not doing their job properly. There simply are not enough cots to meet demand.

This is a city with a higher-than-average birth rate. That reality needs to be hammered home when distribution of resources is being discussed by West Yorkshire's health authorities at their meeting next week.

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