A NEW Wharfedale Hospital should be built at High Royds Hospital in Menston, a panel of health chiefs has been told.

A consultation meeting on the future of Wharfedale General Hospital heard from Councillor Moira Dunn that the High Royds Hospital site was the best option.

And her declaration was greeted by applause from the audience gathered at Guiseley Theatre on Wednesday.

Coun Dunn (Lab, Aireborough) said: "I do hope that you will look at the hospital at High Royds. If you build it at Otley, you are going to have to go to a great amount of expense.

"It (High Royds) could be used, you could make it into a modern hospital that we will all enjoy. I hope you will take back from the community of Aireborough the message that they want a hospital to be at Menston."

Coun Dunn's message was echoed by a member of the public who felt that the feelings of the Otley community had been given disproportionate attention in the debate on where a new hospital should be built.

She said: "As we are going to have a new hospital build, it doesn't just belong to Otley. High Royds is such a vast area. All the people I have spoken to, which is a lot of people, are in favour of High Royds. Transport is an issue.

"Where I live, transport to Otley is terrible. High Royds has all that land, but all I hear about is what Otley wants, but it isn't just their hospital."

As to the possible location of the hospital, Kevin Westwood, in charge of the health authority's planning team, told the meeting that he viewed the choice of site as an 'either, or' situation.

He said: "In my mind it is a straightforward race between Garnett's Mill and the High Royds site. At this stage, I would hasten to add that we don't have a preferred option.

"If we say it is a community facility, obviously we want it to have links with a community. We could put in on Otley Chevin, between the communities of Otley and Guiseley but obviously access would be a problem. Wherever it goes, there will be one community or another upset over it."

Aireborough and Horsforth Labour MP Paul Truswell likened the logjam of inactivity over the building of a new hospital to a script from TV series 'Yes Minister', but said that even now with the real prospect of a new hospital being built, substantial questions remained.

He said: "The people in the community served by the hospital know what they have lost in the past, but it isn't absolutely clear even to me, what we are going to get."

Mr Truswell asked for assurances on the preservation of certain services, especially minor injuries treatment.

John Sloan, senior Accident and Emergency Consultant at Leeds General Infirmary, and also responsible for the minor injuries unit at Wharfedale, said: "In terms of commitment to minor injuries, I think it is probably fair to say that minor injuries at Wharfedale has been increasing in its quality and popularity over the past decade. It will change slightly in its hours of operation."

Mr Sloan said that nursing staff would be likely to be more involved in the treatment of minor injuries.

He said: "There is plenty of evidence that they can see a large percentage of the patients that attend."

l The final consultation meeting on Wharfedale's future takes place today from 2.30pm at St Margaret's Hall, Fink Hill, Horsforth.

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