THE start of the official consultation over the future of Ilkley's Coronation Hospital has been put back two weeks to allow changes to the consultation document.

Health bosses have announced they will launch the public consultation on the hospital and its services on August 15, to allow more time for the draft consultation document to be amended.

Hospital owner Airedale Primary Care Trust (PCT) held meetings in the Ilkley area over the past fortnight to give residents a chance to influence what goes into the consultation document.

Although the meetings in Addingham and Burley-in-Wharfedale were poorly attended, dozens of Ilkley residents voiced their views at two meetings in the town last week.

Airedale PCT originally planned to begin the full consultation for the hospital's future last Friday. It has now announced the public consultation will begin on Friday August 15, when the final consultation document will be released.

A PCT spokesman said the organisation needed enough time to make any necessary changes to the consultation document before the process began. Other bodies, including West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority, must also be consulted before the process can begin.

Public consultation meetings are now expected to take place in Addingham, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ilkley in September. The consultation will run until October 31.

The options for the hospitals future - as put forward in the draft consultation document - include closure of the hospital with most services moving to a new building nearby, closure of the hospital with most services going to the Airedale Hospital, Steeton, or leaving the hospital as it is.

Although the PCT says no decisions have been made, its officers have indicated that either of the first two options will save money, while keeping the current hospital building open is likely to cost the trust an extra £60,000 or more. Health bosses are attempting to deal with an 'underlying budgetary problem' of around £6 million.

Airedale PCT has put responses it received during the four meetings on its website. Among the comments recorded, were calls to retain the Coronation Hospital's land for future expansion, requests for details on where exactly any new building would be, and the exact size of the new building.

People also asked for more information on 'redesigned' services, and pointed out that 11,000 people had signed the petition to save the Coronation Hospital. Copies of the petition are still available to sign at Ilkley Town Hall, and at the Ilkley Gazette office, 8 Wells Road, Ilkley.

The PCT has set up a special section on its website for the Ilkley consultation process, at www.airedale-pct.nhs.uk.

Copies of the final consultation document will be available from August 15 from various locations in the Ilkley area, including the Springs Medical Centre, and the Coronation Hospital itself.