Plans to expand Fairfield A&E

Plans are in place to expand the Accident and Emergency department at Fairfield Hospital over the coming year.

The plans were announced at a recent tour of the Hospital where health bosses were joined by the Leader of Bury Council, Councillor Mike Connolly.

The Hospital’s A&E department is now used by people from Rochdale following the downgrading of Rochdale Infirmary’s A&E to an Urgent Care Centre.

The A&E expansion would in effect see the creation of two departments - one for adults and one for children.

Chairman of The Pennine Acute Trust, which runs both Fairfield Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary, John Jesky, said: “We have plans to develop a number of areas at Fairfield General Hospital over the next year including the expansion of the A&E department to accommodate the paediatric observation and assessment unit and to separate children and adults, thus creating a dedicated children’s area within A&E.”

Rochdale health campaigner, Councillor Jean Ashworth, said: “I have been asking questions about Fairfield’s A&E for the last six months, the last time was 2 weeks ago and the Trust said they had no plans what so ever – so I don’t know where this has come from.”