Health bosses have launched a funding bid to build a new £5 million treatment centre in Eccleshill.

The centre would provide urgent care for the treatment of minor injuries for people living in North Bradford.

If the bid for funding from West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority is successful, the unit would be built on land adjacent to the Eccleshill Community Hospital and the Eccleshill NHS Treatment Centre, off Harrogate Road, which opened in the summer.

The bid for £5 million of capital cash, which has been submitted by North Bradford Primary Care Trust, also includes provision to refurbish parts of Shipley Hospital in order to provide similar urgent care services, the extension of the current 18-bed community hospital in Eccleshill to become a 24-bed community hospital and the incorporation of social services staff to advise patients on the site. The centre would provide care closer to where people live and reduce pressure on Bradford Royal Infirmary's A&E department, it would avoid hospital admissions, improve rapid access to diagnostics, separate urgent care from planned care and enable shorter stays in hospital by the provision of more community rehabilitation services.

By having social services staff on site there will be greater integration between health and social care and the capacity to enable direct referrals into community beds, therefore avoiding admissions to acute care.

A spokesman for North Bradford Primary Care Trust said: "The Trust has applied to the West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority for around £5 million to provide an urgent care centre at Eccleshill. This is a very positive development for people living in the North Bradford area as they will be able to access services closer to home.

"It will allow services such as the out-of-hours services already based there to be brought together. Other benefits include treating minor injuries and minor ailments, avoiding unnecessary admissions to the acute services, and shorter stays in hospital.

It was also provide community rehabilitation, speedy access to diagnostic services and provide integrated, patient centred services, linking to other health and social care providers.

"The centre would be sited adjacent to Eccleshill Community Hospital and Eccleshill NHS Treatment Centre.

"We have received initial feedback from the SHA and we are now in the process of providing more detailed plans and financial projections, which will be submitted in May 2006."

A West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority spokesperson said: "As part of the routine process we have asked North Bradford Primary Care Trust for more information regarding this application. We will then consider this further."