THE Secretary of State could be asked to decide the future of Skipton Hospital's Physical Rehabilitation Unit.

North Yorkshire County Council's scrutiny of health committee has agreed to refer the matter to the Secretary of State if a decision is made in February to axe the unit.

The committee, made up of county and district councillors, has been gathering evidence about Airedale NHS Trust's plans to close the unit at Skipton and transfer patients to a new stroke ward at Airedale General Hospital, Steeton.

The committee, formed last year, has the power to take the matter higher if it is discovered the consultation process carried out by Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT (CHARD), has been unsatisfactory or the proposal itself was not in the best interests of the health service.

Now it has vowed to refer the matter to the Secretary of State if a decision is made on February 3 to shut down the PRU.

The committee stressed that it wanted the service to be retained in full, providing seven-days-a-week care.

Even if the committee receives written assurance that the unit will remain open, it still reserves the right to refer the matter should it be necessary.

As this is a new process the head of committee services, Stephen Knight, will now write to the Secretary of State to forewarn him of their intentions.

Chairman of the scrutiny committee, County Coun John Blackie, said: "I think it reflects the strength of feeling in the committee and from the chairman that we will refer it.

"My hope is that the PCT along with the NHS Trust will get together and come up with proposals to keep it open. We are hoping we won't need to refer it."

In a draft document to the meeting, the scrutiny committee expressed concern over the public consultation document, saying that it relied on insubstantiated statements and lacked firm supporting evidence.

Members commended Airedale NHS Trust on providing the new stroke unit, but didn't believe it was a replacement on a like-for-like basis for the PRU.

Patients would have to be treated on an acute ward potentially receiving inappropriate treatment, which, members decided, was not in the best interests of the area's health service.

The PRU in Skipton was due to be closed temporarily on November 21, but the decision was reversed at the last minute.

Airedale NHS Trust Chief Executive, Bob Allen, told the meeting that currently the unit was providing a 9am to 5pm service five days a week.

He said: "We are continuing to work with CHARD to come up with a solution that's acceptable to all parties."

The scrutiny committee meeting was attended by the mayor of Skipton, Coun Paul English, who himself is a former patient at the unit.

"I think it's deplorable," he said. "Airedale NHS Trust - I make an emphasis on the word trust because I don't think there is any.

"What I'm hearing from the people of Skipton is that we don't trust any more. We don't believe in consultation, we believe in the word con."

Former PRU ward manager, Sue Hargreaves, said she was delighted with the scrutiny committee's resolution, but was concerned about how the continuation of the unit could be implemented due to a drop in staffing levels.