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Skills could be lost in changes

Beatriz Ayala
22/ 3/2006

BOSSES at Pennine Acute Trust have warned that skilled staff could be lost if planned hospital changes are not handled with care.

The Trust, which runs Fairfield, Rochdale Infirmary and hospitals in Oldham and North Manchester, expressed its concern in a response to the Healthy Futures programme.

Among changes planned for hospitals and community health services, the preferred option would mean Fairfield losing acute surgery and Rochdale Infirmary losing its accident and emergency unit, plus other acute services.

The Trust says in its formal response that it supports the preferred option, but staff at Fairfield and Rochdale have expressed strong concerns.

It said unless the change programme was handled with care, there was the potential 'skilled and experienced staff will be lost to the local health community.'

The response also stressed the need for all organisations in the North East sector of Greater Manchester to work together to ensure staffing issues were dealt with 'in an appropriate and sensitive manner'.

Tom Wilders, director of strategic planning, told the Trust board meeting: "We are expressing support for the preferred option, but it does point out significant change the reconfiguration will have in relation to staff.

"When I've been round wards and departments, redundancies is not the issue that is going to be important because Healthy Futures is about retaining and using the skilled workforce. Healthy Futures and Making it Better [affecting children's and maternity services] will be implemented over a long period of time and staff will face uncertainty especially around 'what will it mean for me'."

Pete Hinchliffe, union representative, added: "A lot of concerns have come from non-clinical staff who have been asking will they have a job. They are wanting to know what is the shape of their hospital on their current site."