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Health chiefs welcome moves

12/12/2006

HEALTH chiefs welcomed the decision to cut services at the Infirmary and have urged all staff to help implement the decisions.

Bosses at the Pennine Acute Trust, which runs hospitals in Rochdale, Bury, Oldham and North Manchester, said the decision removed uncertainty about reconfiguration.

Bob Chadwick, acting chief executive and Dr Ruth Jameson, medical director, said the Trust supported the continued development of the 'highest possible quality services'.

They said: "Bringing together staff and equipment for hospital in-patient services will give patients the safest possible treatment, with the best possible outcomes.

"We will no longer be stretching our resources thin, relying on the goodwill of staff who have had to make efforts over and above what should have been expected of them. The challenge for all health professionals is to work together to ensure the implementation of these decisions is properly handled."

Trust chiefs said they would work hard to ensure staff were as involved as possible and minimise further uncertainty.

"We know that all staff are passionate about their services. Many of our staff joined campaigns to outline the case for the changes they would have wished.

"They have shown passion and argued cases strongly. The next step will involve careful planning, with staff, patients and service users, to enable us to develop the right implementation programme.

"Some changes will come more quickly than others, but even so, it will take us years to achieve them all. We will need the help of everyone to take us forward."