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Your voices heard

Jeni Harvey
14/ 9/2006

TODAY (Thursday) the future of accident and emergency services at North Manchester General Hospital is being decided by health bosses.

A meeting is being held today at the Longfield Suite in Prestwich, at which the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts will decide the future of the A&E department, acute medicine and emergency surgery at the Crumpsall hospital.

And at that meeting, they will take into account the views of more than 10,000 Middleton Guardian and North East Manchester Advertiser readers who signed our petition demanding that services at North Manchester General are saved.

Last Wednesday, Guardian editor Gerry Sammon presented health boss John Williams with our petition at Heywood and Middleton Primary Care Trust's London House base.

The hefty batch of signatures was set to be shown to the joint committee prior to today's meeting so members are aware of the huge depth of public feeling before they make their decision.

Guardian and Advertiser editor Gerry Sammon said: "More than 10,000 of our readers' voices have now been heard. Our readers have responded wonderfully to our joint campaign, to prevent the downgrading of North Manchester General.

"The Healthy Futures programme and the Making It Better scheme, as well as the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts must listen to what these people say.

"I would like to thank the many thousands of our readers who have supported our campaign to keep these essential services at North Manchester General Hospital."

Today's decision is only on the Healthy Futures programme, which covers A&E and acute services. A decision on the Making It Better consultation - which focuses on maternity and paediatric services - will be made in December.

But as the two decisions need to work together, today's decision will only be provisional.

Keith Surgeon, chief executive of the Heywood and Middleton Primary Care Trust, said: "The decision will be provisional as it needs to be compatible with the outcome of the Making it Better consultation, which will not conclude until December.

"The decisions of each are mutually dependant in one specific area of care, however it is crucial that planning around changes to other services takes place as soon as possible.

"Once a decision is reached, detailed planning work will begin on the changes which will provide better facilities for patients, greater support for those with chronic conditions and centres of excellence throughout the area.

"Patients will be fully involved in this planning work and changes will take time to implement. We anticipate that it will take at least five years for all changes to come into effect."

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