Calderdale Royal Hospital: Work at Halifax's hospital 'all done and ready to meet demands' by 2029 say medical chiefs

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust chiefs said despite some setbacks and a waiting a key Treasury decision, upheavals at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital should be settled by then.

Anna Basford, the trust’s deputy chief executive, told scrutiny councillors progress was being made at Calderdale Royal in relation to a new learning centre and multi-storey car park, including consultation over impact on car parking while work is carried out.

These were expected to be completed this summer.

And the trust was confident the treasury would green light a revised outline business case for reconfiguring services between the two sites this year and hopefully within a matter of months, she said.

Calderdale and Kirklees Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee councillors from Calderdale and Kirklees heard that a construction issue which has delayed opening of the A&E department at Huddersfield was being rectified.

The new A&E will open on May 22.

Coun Beverley Addy (Lab, Kirklees, Colne Valley) asked about delays this may have caused and Coun Liz Smaje (Con, Kirklees, Birstall and Birkenshaw) wanted to know if the target date for overall completion would be met.

Clinical lead for reconfiguration, Dr Mark Davies, said in terms of reconfiguration “no” – the only loss being use of the old A&E as a discharge hub.

Ms Basford said work had not paused while the Treasury decision was awaited and 2029 was the date in mind for completion in the project’s entirety, with the aim of bettering that date, for what was a large and complex construction project.

Coun Smaje asked how the trust would ensure that by a date five years away reconfiguration would meet the medical needs of that time.

Ms Basford said changing advances, for example use of AI would be factored into the future operating model and final designs.

Coun Colin Hutchinson (Lab, Calderdale, Skircoat) said good communication was paramount.

“The wider community needs to have the clearest possible idea of the timeline of what goes on because it will impact on the delivery of clinical services while building work goes on,” he said.