BURY North MP David Nuttall, who pledged to save threatened services at Fairfield General Hospital, has taken his fight to the top.
Mr David Nuttall, pcitured, asked David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Question Time yesterday to intervene to stop the closure of the town’s maternity and special care baby units, with him agreeing to speak to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley about the issue.
The MP has vowed to keep fighting despite last week’s decision to shut the departments. Health bosses gave the multi-million pound Making it Better scheme the final seal of approval, saying it aims to improve the care of women, children and babies across Greater Manchester, by concentrating services.
The coalition ordered a review of the initiative, giving hope that Fairfield General Hospital’s services may be saved, but NHS North West, the region’s strategic health authority, decided it can go ahead. The creation of supercentres, like at the Royal Bolton Hospital, has continued, but closures at Bury, Rochdale and Salford had been halted.
Fairfield was set to lose its services in September, but they will not now shut until spring 2012. Rochdale will close in June this year, with Salford in November.
A spokesman for Pennine Acute said: “The trust is in the process of planning to relocate services from Rochdale Infirmary to Royal Oldham Hospital in early summer and the plans for Fairfield General to move by spring next year.”
Mr Nuttall says he is in regular contact with the office of Mr Lansley about the Making it Better scheme, and is awaiting a response to a request for another review.
He said: “I am disappointed that they haven’t taken into account the overwhelming local opinion and opposition. I still believe that a town the size of Bury must be entitled to a fully functioning maternity department with special care baby unit. I sincerely hope that Andrew Lansley will look at this and will order it to be kept open.”
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