Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper and Featherstone MP Jon Trickett want health bosses – who have opted to call Pontefract’s new £60 million building Pontefract Hospital instead of Pontefract General Infirmary – to ask residents for their views on the change.

Wakefield MP Mary Creagh has also urged chiefs at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospitals, to speak to the community about what they think of renaming the new £240 million Pinderfields Hospital as Wakefield  Hospital.

Ms Cooper said: “I am concerned there hasn't been any proper consultation on this. We have urged the trust to look at this again and consult local communities on the names of both hospitals."

Mr Trickett added: “We pressed the trust to have a proper consultation on the change of name to the local hospitals even at this late stage – which has not taken place so far.

“Personally, I do not see the case for a major change to the long-standing names of the  hospitals.”

The first services at the new hospital in Pontefract opened in January and is expected to be fully operational next January.

The new Wakefield Hospital will open in stages from June or July this year.

The trust said the decision to change the name of both hospitals was made in August and that no stakeholders – including MPs – objected.

Julia Squire, trust chief executive, said: “The decision to adopt new names for our new hospitals was made with the very best of intentions. Through the new names, we wanted to signal a new, modern era in healthcare that local people have waited many years for.

“The name ‘infirmary’ is an outdated term that is not used for modern hospitals but we have retained the important reference to the local town of   Pontefract.

“The first services in our new Pontefract Hospital opened in January.

“Since then, we have received many excellent comments and praise from patients about the fantastic new facilities and the positive difference it has made to their experience of coming to hospital.”