£100,000 revamp for dental surgeries at Rochdale Infirmary

Oral surgery at Rochdale Infirmary

Three dental surgeries will undergo major improvements as part of a £100,000 makeover at Rochdale Infirmary.

The upgrade will improve the service provided to the 4,000 patients treated by the oral-surgery department every year.

The bulk of the investment by Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the hospital, will go on new facilities including dental chairs, overhead lights and state-of-the-art equipment.

A special type of chair in the third surgery will boast extra functions making it suitable for a wider variety of work. Features will include a high-speed scaler, which will enable the dental hygienist to perform more intricate procedures.

Louise O’Reilly, nurse in charge of oral surgery, said: “Most of the equipment that is being replaced came from Birch Hill when the department moved to Rochdale Infirmary in 1988. The improvements will create a more pleasant working environment for staff and will further improve and enhance the quality of the service provided for patients.”

The work will be carried out over the coming months and it will be phased so that only one surgery is out of commission at any one time. Arrangements have been put in place to ensure there is little or no disruption to services.

Karen James, executive director of operations at Pennine Acute Trust, said: “We are always striving to improve our facilities and this refurbishment is another example of that. These improvements will enhance patients’ experience during their treatment.”