THE FIGHT to save a ward at Wharfedale Hospital has been taken to the Secretary of State for Health.

Otley MP Greg Mulholland has also formally asked the Strategic Health Authority and the Leeds Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Health Leeds' Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Board to investigate the decision to close ward one.

The move follows the rejection of his formal request to Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust for the closure plans, and linked staff redeployment, to be put on hold.

In his letter to Secretary of State Patricia Hewitt MP, Mr Mulholland said: "The way the decision was taken is unacceptable for a number of reasons and I am therefore asking you to immediately suspend the closure and halt the process of staff redundancies and redeployment, pending a proper investigation."

He goes on to list no fewer than nine areas a probe should focus on. They include the resons why Leeds Primary Care Trust (PCT) was not consulted, despite the fact the closure will clearly impact on services under the PCT's remit and concerns over the shortage of community care beds.

That the decision was taken simply for financial reasons without adequate consideration about the implications for health care That the city council's Social Services department has not been consulted, despite the impact on social care provision and associated costs.

That Wharfedale Hospital Forum was not consulted over the decision, though it met just two days before the formal proposal was made.

The PPI -- whose member Laurence Wood, of Guiseley, sits on the Wharfedale Hospital Forum - has raised similar points with the Trust's Chief Executive, Hugo Mascie Taylor, and the scrutiny board.

The patient watchdog asks the Trust to urgently re-consider the decision" and criticises the lack of consultation with the hospital forum, PCT and public.

It says: "We believe there is a requirement under section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001to formally consult stakeholders on such changes, and not least it would be good practice to do so.

"The decision should be brought back to the Wharfedale Hospital Forum to ensure that they can be satisfied that this closure is viable and a reasonable course of action."

LTH insists it should still be able to treat the same number of elderly patients at the Wharfedale if the ward closure goes ahead.