A full Circle

Posted By: Jean Ashworth
Date Posted: 22/12/2010

A full Circle

Many years ago I started working for the NHS at Birch Hill Hospital in the laundry department as my husband returned home from work I was ready to leave for my evening shift 4.30 – 9pm after 5 years as the children were older I applied to work nights nursing auxiliary to fit in with my young family.
I worked nights on Birch Hill 9pm – 8am for 10 years then went on days spending 3 years on Special care baby unit and the rest of my 32 years service on the Children’s Pavilion both at Birch Hill and the Infirmary.
Over the years we saw many changes but the management always kept us informed on how these changes would affect us personally, in those days we knew the managers and they knew us many times was I called to the Chief Execs office for speaking out and writing letters but I had a voice and was allowed to express my concerns without fear of losing my job!.
Sadly things started changing in came the PCT and started taking control over services spending money like it was falling out of that so called “money tree my grandma used to kid me about? Then they decided to move Birch Hill hospital to the Infirmary site with promises of phase 2, which came as a second hand block of offices.
Then we had the so called reconfiguration which over 55,000 people disagreed with and a petition was handed in to number 10 again no-one listened in fact a memo was leaked that stated “they are not worth the paper they are wrote on” so that said it all really! We have campaigned, argued, voiced our concerns but still no-one is listening.
Last year I retired from the Pennine Acute and left with sadness of missing my colleagues missing my lovely children and family’s but also sad that in the last 18 months -2 years of my employment I had over 8 hearings / disciplinarians the last one being just 2 weeks before I retired just for speaking out about the decisions being made and daring to challenge them no longer as an employee was I allowed a voice!!.
I knew that these decisions were not in the best interest or for the welfare of our Borough and I argued with them over the broken promise of phase 2 and many more bad decisions they had taken , one thing they don’t like is challenge!
We are now at a stage of turn -a-round the PCT are being disbanded the Council will have more control regarding Health & Wellbeing but the truth of it all is that Rochdale is the borough who has had to suffer these drastic changes simply because the management have got it wrong and have not the gumption to stand up and admit it.
The Children’s ward at the Infirmary at the present time is at it’s absolute worst full to capacity with really poorly children and babies these poor children could not survive without the care needed and received at the Rochdale Infirmary these last few weeks and it is not going to go away every year it is going to get worse nothing can stop it from happening.
Last year I was accused of scaremongering along with our then MP Paul Rowen regarding the downgrading of our Infirmary, this year I am terrified of the outcome as the whole situation is in chaos and needs an urgent review from the Equalities & Human Rights Commission.
The one thing we don’t get a second chance of is life and our choice to healthcare is being taken away!
There is no doubt in my mind that lives are going to be lost through these closures and downgrading of our much needed hospital services being removed out of our Borough.
I stand by my principle for calling for a “Vote of no confidence “in the management of the Pennine Acute at full council which was a unanimous vote and hope it is acted upon as a matter of urgency by all 4 leaders of the council as agreed.
Councillor Jean Ashworth