PEOPLE are invited to local drop-in sessions about community health services in Craven, including the future of Castleberg Hospital at Giggleswick.

A number of sessions are running throughout January as part of a three-month consultation launched by NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in November.

The consultation includes community services for adults who need rehabilitation or additional support to prevent them becoming acutely unwell, or care when they are nearing the end of their lives.

The January drop-in sessions will run at Victoria Hall in Settle from 6pm to 8pm tonight, 8.30am to 11.30am on Friday, January 19, and 2pm to 4pm on Monday, January 29, and the Devonshire Institute in Grassington from 2pm to 4pm tomorrow.

Dr James Thomas, clinical chairman at Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG, said: “I would encourage people to come along to a drop-in session to give their views. What you say will make a difference to the way community services in Craven work in the future.

“It’s important to know what matters to local people so we can design services and make decisions that personalise care and support patients and their families in the long-term.”

The formal consultation follows a period of engagement which took place last summer when nearly 300 people gave their views which were used to shape the two options being consulted on.

The first option is to continue to provide inpatient care in the community and repair and restore Castleberg Hospital.

The second option is to provide an enhanced range of care in people’s homes or in an alternative community setting (determined by their needs), and close Castleberg Hospital.