A&E 6pm-8am Premature Closure!

Posted By: Jean Ashworth
Date Posted: 10/07/2010

With regards to the latest news from the Pennine Acute that they have taken the decision to close The Rochdale Infirmary’s A&E department for Blue light ambulance service from 6pm -8am from the 2nd August without consultation from the Council or Health Overview & Scrutiny is just not acceptable.
I asked this question in March and was told that no proposals had been put forward to suggest this and was then accused of scaremongering by the trust and certain members of the Labour Party.
I then asked the same question in my current role as Chair of Health Overview and Scrutiny just over 2 weeks ago and was again told that “No formal consideration had been given to close the Accident & Emergency Unit at Rochdale Infirmary in the evenings to blue light access and that if any proposals were to come forward it would come to committee for consideration”
No such consultation has taken place!

On Thursday evening 8 / 7/10 at 4 .20 pm I received a phone call from the Pennine Acute informing me that (they) had held a meeting the day before and had decided to Divert all “blue light” emergencies from 6pm till 8am from the 2nd August. Because of staffing issues which they have known about for many months?

Which this is a nationwide problem recruiting Doctors and Nurses yet other areas do not close down because of these issues they move staff around to accommodate Patient Safety so why should Rochdale already suffering loss of services have to accept this premature move? In my opinion this is totally not acceptable and we need to take the Trust & PCT to task as to why this decision was taken without any consultation to the Council, the Public or Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
They can’t keep changing the “goal posts “as they please to do to suit their own ambitions. There is no infrastructure in place to follow this plan through or to ensure Patient safety And I hope every RMBC Councillor and the Chief Executive of RMBC gets on board to stop this or any further closures.

I would also ask for a complete breakdown in the manager structure of the Pennine Acute from (top to bottom) with a full review of what each position is really needed as it seems we have managers in posts created by the trust at enormous wasted expense if ever an efficiency drive was needed to save money in the NHS it is here and those positions not needed or created were to go without huge pay-offs! 

 Councillor Jean Ashworth
Chair Health Overview & Scrutiny