'We could have had a state-of-the-art hospital'

The money spent on NHS mobile clinical units could have been used to give Rochdale a state-of-the-art hospital, a leading councillor has claimed.

Councillor Jean Ashworth says the units, which are part of a costly £172M development by the NHS, is a waste of money and proof that services are being downgraded.

She claims having such services on wheels lessens the chance of Rochdale having anything like it on a permanent basis, and that the money being spent is a waste.

The mobile buildings move around Greater Manchester offering patients a range of treatments and surgery. It is not known exactly how much it is costing to move the units from place to place, but the development as a whole is said to be £172M.

Councillor Ashworth said: “They are determined to downgrade Rochdale.

These cabins are costing so much money and as a result we just won’t get any permanent treatments.

“For the money they have forked out, Rochdale could have had a state-of-the-art hospital with everything we need. But instead we are suffering because of these ideas about moving around on wheels”.

Trevor Purt, Chief Executive of NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, responded: “CATS is designed to bring services into the community so patients can avoid having to make unnecessary trips to hospital. This will help to reduce waiting times and improve the ‘patient experience’, adding a huge amount of value to our local services.

“It is a Greater Manchester initiative, funded by PCT’s on a ‘pay as you go’ basis when patients choose to have their treatment there. We are entirely committed to offering a range of options to our patients, which includes convenient, quality health services in the community.

“We do work closely with our patients when developing services and representatives from the Patient’s Council attended the local CATS launch last month, and showed their support for CATS and bringing services closer to home.”