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LETTER... Richard Watkins with his open letter about cuts to accident and emergency care.
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A&E cuts put lives at stake
29/ 9/2006
A NURSE at Rochdale Infirmary has hit out against the decision to downgrade the accident and emergency unit in a hard-hitting open letter to the Labour Party.
Richard Watkins, a 38-year-old father of four, who has worked in the department for the past seven years, said: "I'm not disagreeing with all NHS reform, but I can't see how Rochdale Infirmary and Burnley General losing their full A and E units will make it safe for people.
"People are going to die.
"They are not going to increase the capacity of the Royal Oldham Hospital and North Manchester General, so when Rochdale Infirmary is downgraded, where are patients going to go?
"There will be no provision for the thrombolysis team, so how can you have a cardiac centre of excellence when you haven't got a fully functioning accident and emergency?
"Of the 15 per cent of patients who will no longer be treated here, a significant percentage of these are likely to be compromised by travel times to another department."
Mr Watkins said he wrote the letter to spark a debate among people making the decisions as well as affected residents.
He said: "The decision affects me as a member of the public and I'm concerned.
"It will impact on the people of Oldham, Bury and North Manchester as much as Rochdale, but there are fewer and fewer resources.
"With this letter I want to provoke a debate and keep it going, I really feel it is an issue that must not be left to lie."
Mr Watkins said he wanted to make it clear to people making the decisions it would be front-line staff dealing with the consequences of the changes.
He said: "Even saving one person's life is worth keeping services here.
"We are the most efficient accident and emergency in the country because of our treatment of people suffering heart attacks.
"A and E staff deal with life and death situations and time does matter.
"I'm there to work as an A and E nurse and it's what I've wanted to do.
"All we want to do is carry on doing what we are doing but someone has decided they can manage without us."
- READ Richard Watkins' letter on page 19 of Saturday's Observer.
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30/09/2006 at 20:20
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