CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed the decision to refer the closure of Trafford General’s A&E unit to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Councillors on the Manchester and Trafford Joint Health Scrutiny Committee have written to Mr Hunt branding the plans as “a substantial variation in health services which are not in the interests of the health service or patients of Trafford and Manchester”.
They are worried about the impact on A&E services at Wythenshawe Hospital if the Trafford closure plan went ahead and the lack of integrated community care in Trafford to deal with emergency patients.
They also question whether the public were properly engaged and consulted about the plans; the clinical evidence available; and the impact on patient choice.
And councillors back the local campaign group, Save Trafford General, which has demanded that any changes to the hospital should be halted and only considered as part of the forthcoming review of emergency and urgent services throughout Greater Manchester.
Councillors say NHS Greater Manchester has failed to adequately address their concerns and that the plans should now be put ‘in abeyance’ until they can be considered as part of the ‘Healthier Together’ review.
Save Trafford General Campaign Chair Matthew Finnegan said: “We are delighted local councillors have backed the fight to save Trafford General.
“Referring the decision to the Health Secretary will delay any closure of Trafford’s A&E and that can only be good news for the 38,000 local people in the borough who use casualty every year.
“It also means the final decision on the future of Trafford General will now have to be made by the Government.
“We will step up our campaign and put maximum pressure on Jeremy Hunt.”
He added: “People power has already delayed this closure plan, now people power needs to force the Government to ditch these plans to cut services at Trafford General, birthplace of our NHS. ”
- Read the letter to Jeremy Hunt HERE > Referral Letter – Final
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1 comment
maurice
17/03/2013 at 8:26 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
If a+e closes from midnight till 7 am living in partington will mean that we will have added expense to get to and from home if need to go to a+e. Where as we could get away with going in a car we will have no other choose but to get ambulances out. What happen if we have illness and the consultant we are under is at traford general. Instead of beinng taken to trafford we will end up at wythenshaw and then have to be ttansported to traford to see the consultant. It will cause us more problems. Other options we have is to wait till 7 am and then call ambulances out, tha wait in calling the ambulance forsed on use by the closeure of traford could cost lives as we live in fear of being stuck at other hospitals withno money or idea on how to get home. Help in getting home is not offered buy hospitals when going to a+e.