Infirmary struggling to cope

Rochdale Infirmary is struggling to cope with the number of patients; an email leaked to Rochdale Online reveals the unit is unable to find bed space for all its surgical patients, even before planned cuts are introduced.

Children’s and maternity care, emergency services and overnight surgery will be cut at the unit from April next year, with ambulances and walking wounded being diverted to Oldham, Bury and North Manchester.

In the email a well-placed management source at the Infirmary reveals the surgical beds were at full capacity this week, with more urgent admissions expected.

The email says: “I don’t foresee the situation in relation to surgical capacity improving on the RI [Rochdale Infirmary] site and this will obviously have a knock on effect upon the A&E access target and the numbers of potential cancellations of elective surgery.”

The Pennine Acute Trust agreed the changes to the Infirmary in 2007 under the Healthy Futures programme, but was forced to bring them forward by a year because of staff shortages.

“Patient safety is the Trust’s highest priority,” said Dr Anton Sinniah, consultant physician and clinical director of unscheduled care for Rochdale Infirmary.

“The Trust cannot continue to provide safe and high quality inpatient services at the Infirmary without the full complement of permanent doctors to fill rotas.”

The decision is being criticised by community leaders, with campaigners saying services will not be able to cope with the cuts.

“It is really frightening,” said Councillor Jean Ashworth, a member of the Friends of Our Hospital group fighting the downgrading of the Infirmary.

She added: “They are putting people’s lives at risk. Oldham is not going to be able to cope.”

A detailed timetable of the changes is expected in the next few weeks.