New children’s area to be created within Rochdale Infirmary UCC

Rochdale Infirmary’s Urgent Care Centre (UCC)

Children who attend Rochdale Infirmary’s Urgent Care Centre (UCC) with minor injuries and illness are set to benefit from a new segregated area created especially for them.

Building work has started on the scheme which has been planned and developed with doctors and nurses who work in the UCC and with input from specialist paediatric staff.

The nine week project, which is funded by The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Rochdale Infirmary, will see the existing UCC single waiting room space divided into separate adult and children’s facilities. There will be separate waiting and triage areas for adults and children, along with a new entry and exit into the department for children. The building work is expected to be complete by Christmas.

Alex Barker, divisional nurse manager at Rochdale Infirmary, said: “The alteration of the existing department into separate adult and children’s facilities will mean that children will no longer be exposed to very poorly adults and vice versa. This will help ease the stress that children face when they have to come to hospital as it is important that they are treated by staff in an appropriate child-friendly environment, separate from adults.

“UCC staff are looking forward to working in what will be considerably improved facilities for children, plus the alteration will make better use of the available space within the centre. All alteration work will be phased to keep any disruption to patients and staff to a minimum.”

Dr Lynn Hampson, local GP and Clinical Lead for NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “Having a separate area for children is an important development for Rochdale Urgent Care Centre. It will benefit both staff and families when children need to use the centre with minor injuries.”.