Heath trust push for Dewsbury A&E downgrade plan 10 January 2013 Last updated at 06:26 Health chiefs at a cash-strapped NHS trust are being asked to back "radical" changes which could see A&E services at Dewsbury hospital downgraded. Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has put forward a preferred plan to make Pinderfield's Hospital in Wakefield the district's main A&E department. It has to save £24m by April but will still end the year with a £26m deficit. Former nurse Wendy Senior, from the Save Local Hospitals Services Group, said the proposals were "appalling." Two options are being considered for the trust's three hospitals, Dewsbury, Pinderfields and Pontefract. The preferred option, which would involve capital funding of almost £38.5m, would see Dewsbury losing its A&E unit as well as intensive and high dependency care. Jamie Coulson Health Correspondent, BBC Yorkshire The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust was formed in 2002 and is responsible for three major acute hospitals in Wakefield, Dewsbury and Pontefract, serving more than 500,000 people. The financial position of the trust has been subjected to significant scrutiny over the last couple of years and in 2011/12, the trust reported a deficit of £19.2m. This year the trust is predicting an overspend of £26m, which takes account of savings already made. It is against this backdrop that the trust is proposing a significant change to how and where services are offered. The preferred option would see all emergency and complex cases dealt with at Pinderfields, while planned and routine care would be seen at Dewsbury and Pontefract. Other changes would see the A&E departments in Dewsbury and Pontefract lose their consultant-led service. There is likely to be significant political opposition to the proposals but health chiefs warn that without change some services could become unsustainable. Patients requiring such services would have to travel nearly nine miles to Pinderfields. Both options would also see Dewsbury's maternity unit downgraded. Councillor Robert Light, leader of Kirklees Conservatives, said: "We believe it is vital to keep our A&E at Dewsbury. The trust needs to understand that the hospital services a large area outside Dewsbury, Batley and the Spen Valley, and that such a proposal will seriously reduce the ability for thousands of people to access quality A&E services within a reasonable distance. A report by the trust states: "In developing these options, the trust has concluded that 'do nothing' is not an option for both clinical and financial sustainability." The alternative option would involve Dewsbury keeping its consultant-led A&E but the report said that plan was regarded as the "do minimum option." Members of the NHS Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield District Cluster Board are being asked to support the preferred changes. The board is meeting to discuss the plan later and will decide whether to put it out to public consultation.