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Decision over Pontefract A&E

The A and E department at Pontefract Hospital will re-open during the night following a campaign by local people. NHS bosses came under fire after a decision to close the department overnight because of staffing problems.

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More care for local people at Pontefract Hospital says Trust

The MidYorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has announced it believes it has madegood progress in increasing the care available for local people at Pontefract Hospitaland has plans in place to reopen the Pontefract Hospital accident andemergency (A&E) department overnight from early September.

The department closed overnight in November 2011, due to a shortage of emergency doctors. From September, it is planned the department will be now be open between 10pm and 8am.

“We made a commitment to local people to reopen the department overnight as soon as it is safe to do so. There remains a shortage of hospital emergency doctors so we are sub-contracting a team of GPs. These GPs have the skills needed in emergency medicine to support our existing team and for us to provide the same emergency service at Pontefract overnight as before. We plan to have the staff in place to reopen by 3 September 2012. "

– Stephen Eames, Interim Chief Executive at the Trust

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A and E department to re-open

The A and E department at Pontefract Hospital will re-open during the night

The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust came under fire after a decision to close the department overnight because it couldn't recruit enough qualified doctors to staff the unit full time.

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