Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust's failure to win its bid to be designated a specialist centre for gynaecological cancer is deeply disappointing - not least because this city has a higher-than-average number of deaths from this disease.

It is a bitter blow for the Trust, which had hoped to continue to offer radical surgery for gynaecological cancer at Bradford Royal Infirmary. It was no doubt instrumental in prompting the decision to close the 16-bed gynaecological day-care ward, which was announced yesterday. If the BRI had been granted the cancer specialisation status it sought, it would have been much harder - in fact virtually impossible - for managers to justify closing that ward.

That status has now gone to Leeds. Gynaecological cancer surgery is the latest specialisation to head for that city (although scans, assessment and chemotherapy will continue to be available in Bradford).

Unfortunately it seems to be the way things are going. An increasing number of specialist health services are being sucked into Leeds as part of the regional health rationalisation process. The losses are nibbling away at Bradford's importance as a health centre. The BRI is a long way from being reduced to a cottage hospital, but every specialisation lost is damaging to its future.

It is also, of course, damaging to the welfare of patients from Bradford who have to trail to Leeds for specialist services most feel should be available to them at their local hospital. Understandably, they want to be within relatively easy reach of the treatment and care they need, not a stressful bus ride, train journey and taxi trip away.