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Hornby’s hospitals concerns

15/ 2/2006

NORTH ward councillor Jean Hornby has hit back at criticism made of her views on the future of the area's hospitals.

At a council meeting last week she seconded a proposal made by Hopwood Hall councillor Carol Wardle that Rochdale Council submit its own response to the Healthy Futures and Making It Better consultation, which was lost when it went to the vote.

She argued that many people wrongly believed that Rochdale would lose its hospital altogether and were not treating the plans as two separate proposals.

Cllr Hornby was speaking out against a Lib Dem motion calling on Pennine Acute Trust to make sure maternity, childcare and accident and emergency services are retained at the Infirmary and that a special care baby unit, accident and emergency and other acute surgery services remain at Fairfield Hospital.

Her suggestion that it was being used inappropriately for political gain met with fierce opposition and she was taken to task by Liberal Democrat councillor David Clayton and Paul Rowen, MP, who said Rochdale should move forward united.

But Cllr Hornby, who is mayor elect, said she felt it was unfair that much of the criticism focused on the fact she will be the borough's first citizen next year.

"I am first and foremost a Heywood councillor and it my role to support amendments I think are necessary," she said.

"I feel that assumptions about the hospital proposals have been made that are based on rumour and not fact.

"I did not disagree with everything the Lib Dems were suggesting, just the final paragraph of the motion which stated that the council should protest in strong terms and call on Pennine Acute Trust for services to be retained at both Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield hospital."

She said that the Trust would not make the final decision and that their views should instead be made through the overview and scrutiny committee to a more appropriate body.

Cllr Hornby added she would encourage everyone to take part in the consultation and to make their views known but that in regard to adult services the proposal which best suits Heywood would not necessarily be the same for Rochdale.

"I think it important that everyone gets a copy of the Healthy Futures document with the response form in it and submits their own views based on that and not and misconceptions they might have," she added.