Health chiefs panicked and became hysterical over merger proposals with Bradford, says the head of the local patients' watchdog.

Cllr Peter Putwain, chairman of Airedale Community Health Council (CHC), says the Airedale NHS Trust's senior officials were 'intensely parochial' and that the issue was dominated by 'negativity'.

But Airedale NHS Trust acting chairman Tom Gibson yesterday hit back at the criticisms.

The suggested merger of the three trusts in the Bradford area was scrapped in the autumn following intense public criticism. Keighley News readers vigorously opposed the suggestion.

"The suggestion appeared to send the trust board into panic and hysteria, with claims and counter-claims that Airedale area NHS services would be reduced, removed or those that remained would be impotent," Cllr Putwain says in his new year message to CHC members. He adds that continued 'defensive, parochial and pedestrian attitudes' of the trust will not serve patients in the long run.

However, he also says that Airedale provides an 'excellent service' through a 'highly skilled and loyal workforce'. It can only improve services, however, if it is open with patients and the CHC, and working with the rest of the NHS.

But Dr Gibson told the Keighley News yesterday: "We are surprised and saddened by Cllr Putwain's comments. His emotional language does not describe the Airedale position - there has been no 'panic and hysteria'.

"There is no longer talk of mergers of trusts in the Airedale-Bradford area. Before the end of November, Bradford Health Authority had concluded as there was no consensus amongst the health agencies, no merger recommendation would be made.

"Consultants and staff were strongly opposed to a merger because it was not in the interests of our patients. Most importantly, many patients told us of their wish to keep Airedale separate from Bradford.

"Airedale will play its full part in responding to the government's agenda for health. We shall debate the issues in the interests of our patients - we shall not simply follow rhetoric.

"The CHC chairman's message is itself hardly a collaborative initiative and the fact that the content had not been discussed with the Trust before is especially sad. No examples are given of where the Trust is alleged to have failed to co-operate."

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