My Report to Council Health Overview & Scrutiny

Posted By: Jean Ashworth
Date Posted: 28/01/2011

On presenting my report to council I would like to thank the Leader of the Council and his members for allowing me to continue my role as Chair of Health Overview & Scrutiny and I will continue to challenge and scrutinise in depth the downgrading of both Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield.
We have many challenges as a council regarding changes to the way our health needs and services are going to be delivered in the very near future with the council taking charge of services being commissioned as the White paper from the Secretary of Health requests and the need for every elected member to be involved in these changes and decisions which is essential that all of us understand the importance of the role and to take part in.
Over the past few weeks I have attended many meetings the most recent was on the 13th January The new Role of Local Government In Public Health Conference at Westleigh Conference Centre,Preston.where many Authorities came together from Blackburn to Wyre to bring together a wide range of perspectives regarding the changes and the need of support for every elected councillor to make their role in public health successful which is a massive change for each and everyone of us but we all need to be onboard.
I was very impressed with the knowledge and ambition elected councillors from other authority’s had regarding the changes they were much more informed and giving presentations at this event. I feel very sad and worried that we are letting go a lead officer who could take us through this massive change Adrian Watson has a huge amount of knowledge and experience regarding the White Paper and the challenges we as a council need to deliver yet we are not prepared to take on and value his expertise due to cutbacks in services, which in the long term we as a Borough will lose out and I urge this council to rethink about losing a very important post at this stage of the changes and challenges we all face.

I still feel the Pennine Acute are not listening to the worries of the borough and are rushing through the closures and downgrading of our hospital services at Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield and are determined to do this before the next financial year regardless of the ongoing suffering to the people in our borough every day I receive calls from someone who has had a bad experience regarding their care or travel out side the area due to the lack of beds.
I will continue to challenge the Pennine Acute on the many issues they have forced on the most vulnerable through bringing these changes and closures forward without consultation or adequate services in place especially early discharge, lack of intensive care beds, no provision for winter pressure, major transport issues regarding patients having to go out of area and will continue to voice our vote of no confidence in the management of the Pennine Acute Trust in the handling of these changes as agreed unanimously at full Council in December by all elected members and the four Leaders and over 3000 petitions signed by the public many of them from the Whitworth & Rossendale areas which their Councillors & MP are very much involved in and have huge concerns regarding extra travel times.
We will learn in February the decision from Andrew Lansley Secretary of Health regarding the closure of our Maternity Units both at Fairfield and the Rochdale Infirmary I sincerely hope we have been listened to and receive some good news for one of our units to continue to serve our new mums to be and special care baby units as I know we won’t be able to keep both even though they are much needed and both fantastic units.






Jean Ashworth





Chair Health Overview& Scrutiny