Wait for review, says scrutiny committee (From Messenger Newspapers)

Wait for review, says Trafford's scrutiny committee

1:00pm Thursday 10th January 2013 in News

TRAFFORD Council's scrutiny committee is continuing to oppose controversial plans to redesign services at Trafford General.

Councillors met last night to consider their response to the 'new health deal' for Trafford.

Major changes proposed for the hospital - the birthplace of the NHS - include turning the A & E department into an urgent care centre which will only open between 8am and midnight.

Intensive care and the paediatric observation and assessment unit would also be closed, and emergency surgery would no longer be carried out at the hospital.

But councillors on Trafford's scrutiny committee, which met last night, believe any decisions on the hospital's future should be delayed until a Greater Manchester-wide review of the NHS is completed.

Manchester's' health scrutiny committee will meet tonight and a joint Trafford and Manchester scrutiny committee will be held on Monday, ahead of a crunch meeting of the Trafford Strategic Programme Board (TSPB) to consider the future of services at Trafford General.

The meeting of the TSPB, which oversees the new health deal project to redesign services at the hospital, will be held in public on January 15 at Flixton House. The TSPB - which has already given the proposals an initial thumbs-up - will agree a final recommendation to submit to NHS Greater Manchester, which will make a final decision at its board meeting on January 24.

The meeting will be held from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Those interested in attending should contact Jill Boardman at NHS Greater Manchester on 0161 920 9666 or email Jill.Boardman@cypfn.manchester.nhs.uk