'More people than beds' admits hospital

Special measures: Rochdale Infirmary has set up extra beds to cope with an increase in patients

Health chiefs at Rochdale Infirmary have admitted there are “more people than beds”, leading to an extra ward being opened to cope.

The hospital has been forced to open the ward on Sparthfield unit because staff are unable to cope with a surge in patient numbers.

Declining local services have meant patients are being forced to wait hours for a bed to become available.

The ward, which opened on Monday, is only temporary relief, and they will be taken away again as soon as the winter period is over.

Councillor Jean Ashworth, who works at the Infirmary, said she feels for the staff who are rushed off their feet.

She said: “The hospital is at breaking point.

“There is a clear shortage of beds for the elderly who are suffering at this time of year, and this is also a problem over in Oldham as they have also opened up extra beds there.

“I welcome the decision to introduce a winter pressures ward, unfortunately six beds will not work miracles”.

She added: “I’ve seen first hand how the staff are so rushed off their feet, they are doing a fantastic job, but the services provided are ridiculous”.

A spokesman for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Infirmary, said:

“The beds were set up as part of bed management; it is a proper ward like any other, its not like there are extra beds in the corridor.

“There has been an increase in demand, there are times when there are more people than beds, so we have had to adjust to cope with it.”

The Infirmary had the second busiest accident and emergency unit out of the region’s four hospitals, dealing with 34,930 patients between July and December.

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