Airedale Hospital bosses have said premises that are not owned by the hospital need to be “fit for purpose” when they are used for Airedale patient appointments.

At their latest board meeting, managers responded to concerns raised by one patient who attended an appointment with a dietician.

Director of nursing Rob Dearden told colleagues that the patient had said she was happy with the clinical side of her experience, but was uncomfortable at the lack of reception staff in what was a relatively isolated location.

Mr Dearden said that this issue had since been resolved, with an agreement to extend the hours of reception cover.

He added improvements had been made at other non-Airedale Hospital sites, where patients had reported problems such as a lack of parking and poorly laid-out reception areas.

Commenting on Ilkley’s Coronation Hospital, which is one of these locations, non-executive director David Adam said: “The staff there are outstanding, but they are not helped by the layout of the building.

“If we’re using buildings we have no control over, and it’s a key part of our strategy to use these satellite sites, we do need these properties to be fit for patient care.”