HEALTH watchdogs have taken the fight to save Pontefract General Infirmary's threatened Accident and Emergency unit to Health Secretary Frank Dobson.

Alan Hartley, chairman of the Northern and Yorkshire Regional Community Health Council has written to Mr Dobson urging him to overrule Wakefield health chiefs if they decide to go ahead with the closure.

He said thousands of people who had been consulted about the proposals to merge A&E services were clearly opposed to it - but many feared the health authority simply would not listen.

Mr Hartley, who himself lives in Barlby, said: "One Accident and Emergency unit cannot cope. I have written to Mr Dobson pointing out that the health authority has had the views of thousands of patients but that it will in fact take no notice of those views.

"If the (health authority's) White Paper is published and simply comes out with the proposal to merge everything on one site when clearly the views expressed by the public and the health council are don't do it, then they have not taken any notice."

Pontefract is the "local" hospital for around 18,000 people living in the south of the Selby area.

The trust responsible for managing it merged last April with its counterpart in Wakefield, which operates Pinderfields Hospital.

Wakefield Health Authority is now proposing to close one of the two A&E units, or at least drastically reduce its hours - though it has not yet said which site would go.

Selby District Councillor John McCartney has already launched a campaign to save the Pontefract casualty unit, warning local people could die if it was closed.

And last week Selby MP John Grogan had himself rushed to Pinderfields by ambulance to show just how long it would take patients from Selby to get there.

Sue Ellis, senior development manager with Wakefield Health Authority, said today a report summarising the views of people consulted would be prepared for a health authority meeting on March 4.

She said: "The purpose of this consultation is for us to genuinely listen to the views both individual members of the public and professional organisations and clinicians are feeding to us."

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