A SALE MP has raised serious misgivings about plans which could impact on the health of Trafford residents.

Mike Kane, the Wythenshawe and Sale East politician was responding to concerns he has over the Healthier Together consultation, which will draw to a close later this month.

Health bosses are claiming no decisions have yet been made and that plans to create up to five specialist hospitals, could help save up to 1,500 lives over the next five years across Greater Manchester.

Mr Kane first raised some of his concerns during a debate in the Commons about Wythenshawe Hospital losing its specialist trauma unit, which he sees as the thin end of a wedge, and in a letter he wrote this week to bosses conducting the consultation.

In his letter this week to NHS bosses, he said he believed Wythenshawe should be recognised as one of the 'fixed site' specialist hospitals citing its specialisms, its proximity to motorways and Manchester Airport and pointing out that any alteration would adversely affect the £12 million being invested in the hospital's new A&E department and compromise its future role in the new MediPark development, which is forecast to create more than 3,000 jobs over the next 10 years.

Mr Kane told the Messenger: "I see the trauma specialism as the lynchpin to protecting the other services at Wythenshawe and if it was lost, it would undermine all the other specialisms it deals with including burns and plastic surgery, heart and lung transplants and a breast cancer prevention centre."

Cllr Joanne Harding who campaigned unsuccessfully against the loss of services at Trafford General said lessons needed to be learnt if there was not to be a repeat at Wythenshawe: She said: "As soon as you start to remove vital services from a hospital, then in my opinion, there begins further demise.

We have seen ambulances backed up, patients waiting hours for treatment and people having to travel further. We have seen 'winter' pressures extend into all year round.

"The people of Trafford and Manchester need Wythenshawe to retain the excellent services it provide. I believe this is driven by costs and we have no clear unequivocal evidence that these changes will improve outcomes."

A spokesman for the Healthier Together consultation would look to create the highest quality care for patients.

He said: "Wythenshawe/UHSM will either be a local general hospital or a specialist hospital, and either way the services in scope will be upgraded to meet the standards required of a local general or specialist site.

"Under the plan the most serious cases for A&E and emergency general surgery, will be dealt with at the specialist site.

He added: "The timescales will depend on how long it takes to analyse the responses but it is likely this will take several months."

The deadline for consultation feedback is October 24, at 5pm.