A&E replaced with Urgent Care Centre

Rochdale Infirmary

Accident and Emergency services will no longer be provided at Rochdale Infirmary from today (Monday 4 April 2011).

A new 24/7 Urgent Care Centre will replace the current A&E department and Walk-in centre at the Infirmary.

The centre will provide treatment for people who have a minor injury or illness, or an urgent but less serious emergency that does not require 999.

The Urgent Care Centre will consist of a team of GPs, emergency and advanced nurse practitioners, fully qualified nursing staff, with support from a medical consultant and from other departments within the hospital such as blood testing and x-ray.

All emergency cases involving severe injury or illness, or those that require 999 emergency ambulances, such as patients suffering a heart attack or stroke, will be taken to neighbouring A&E departments at The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, North Manchester General Hospital in Crumpsall or another specialist hospital.

The Infirmary will also provide a new overnight and short stay Clinical Assessment Unit (CAU) for adults from today.

The new 12 bed unit (with six trolleys) will provide rapid patient assessment and treat patients who have been referred directly from their local GP, from the community, or come via the new Urgent Care Centre. Patients will be assessed, observed and treated on the CAU usually up to a maximum of 48 hours.

Dr Nick Dawes, Medical Director and Local GP for NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, said: “This new model of care at Rochdale Infirmary, incorporating a new urgent care centre and clinical assessment unit has been designed to provide an integrated approach to health care with a seamless service between primary, secondary and social care.”