Trust Management want services moved from Rochdale Infirmary

Below is a message from Chris Appleby, Chief Executive of Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, regarding the meetings held on Thursday 17 November to discuss reconfiguration of services and sent to all hospital staff.

The message makes clear the Trust Management would like to see services moved from Rochdale Infirmary to other hospitals out of town.

Friday, 18 November 2005

Consultation on the reconfiguration of the Trust’s hospitals and services

Chris Appleby, chief executive, said: “As you’ll be aware, the reconfiguration process has now reached the point were the joint committees of Primary Care Trusts for both Making it Better (the reconfiguration of Women’s and Children’s service in Greater Manchester) and Healthy Futures (the reconfiguration of hospital services within Pennine Acute Trust) met last night to discuss the options for the reconfiguration process. The outcome of those two meetings are briefly summarised below.

Making It Better

“The joint committee of Primary Care Trusts for the ‘Making It Better’ consultation unanimously agreed the case for change and further agreed a model of enhanced community services with a concentration of more specialist services on fewer and larger inpatient sites.

“The committee agreed a maximum number of eight sites with overnight paediatric and obstetrics, together with three neo-natal intensive care units.  

“In last night’s public meeting, the committee agreed in principle to a preferred option with the following eight sites; St Mary’s in Manchester, Royal Albert Edward Hospital in Wigan, Royal Bolton, Stepping Hill in Stockport, the Royal Oldham Hospital, Wythenshawe, North Manchester General Hospital, and Tameside.

“Further options are still being pursued, in particular with further analysis in relation to Macclesfield and Hope Hospital in Salford.

“The joint committee will reconvene in December to give further consideration for the options for inclusion in the formal consultation document, which is now likely to be launched early in the New Year.

Healthy Futures

“Last night’s meeting of the joint committee of Primary Care Trusts for the Healthy Futures consultation (with membership from Bury, Heywood and Middleton, Rochdale, Oldham, North Manchester and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale) considered options for reconfiguring and improving health services currently provided in the north east of Greater Manchester.

“The committee agreed a preferred option of delivering services across three acute sites at Fairfield General Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital, and the Royal Oldham Hospital, with the development of Rochdale Infirmary as one of the country’s first locality hospitals including integrated urgent care, a full range of diagnostics and a cardiac centre of excellence.

“The committee also agreed two further options to be included in the formal consultation document, developing a range of services across all sites with the concentration of acute surgery and acute medicine on either one or two sites.

“At last night’s meetings, it was decided by both joint committees of Primary Care Trusts to put back the start of the consultation period until the beginning of 2006.

“As it has been recommended that both consultation programmes are launched at the same time, the Healthy Futures board agreed to defer consultation until the Making It Better reconfiguration options have been agreed.

“The full range of options for consultation will be circulated once they have been agreed by the joint committee of Primary Care Trusts and we will keep staff up-to-date as more information becomes available.”