Health chiefs are being urged to speed up the reopening of Altrincham Hospital's minor injuries unit (MIU) to a seven-day-a-week service. Treatment of injuries like broken limbs was suspended in November 2021 because of a lack of emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs).
ENPs were diverted to Wythenshawe Hospital at the height of the pandemic and are much sought-after professionals in the NHS. Trafford council's health scrutiny committee has been told by representatives of Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT), which runs the hospital, of 'imminent' plans to reopen the MIU two days a week following a recruitment campaign.
They said that if staff can be retained, it would increase to four days' opening a week from January and revert to seven days in the summer of 2023. However, it is now feared a review into the MIU's continued feasibility, instigated by the newly-formed Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, may lead to the closure of the entire hospital.
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Councillors and community campaigner Judie Collins, who was allowed to address the meeting, expressed concern that opening the MIU two days a week would potentially confusing to more vulnerable members of the community and "wouldn't know it is there". Committee chair Coun Michael Whetton said: "I share the concerns about the method of reopening, starting with two days a week and moving to four.
"It used to be a 76 hours a week service. It's going to start at 16 hours and move to 32 with the aim of getting to 76 hours by the middle of next year. What I would urge is that every pressure is put brought to bear to bring these dates forward.
"I would hope that the seven-day full service could be arrived at before June or July 2023."
Coun Jane Brophy said she wondered whether people outside of Altrincham were aware that the unit would be reopening soon. What publicity has there been to make sure that people know it's there?" she said. "What are the plans to communicate this to the wider population?"
Coun Brophy also highlighted 'well-known problems' for people in areas like Partington using public transport to get to Altrincham, Trafford and Wythenshawe Hospitals. She said: "Once we've solved the workforce issues, we also need to take a wider look at the issues of poor public transport links."
However, Coun Sophie Taylor said the MIU was a "niche service" for a "small sector of the population that are the least deprived in the borough". "Is this service actually needed?" she said. "It seems to be the case that it's not the best use of resources."
But Judie Collins, chair of Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society, reacted angrily to Coun Taylor's comments. She said: "The community in Altrincham fought very hard for this hospital to be built. We've had meetings with MFT, ward councillors and Sir Graham Brady (MP for Altrincham and Sale West)."
Ms Collins said the problem of recruiting ENPs was "something that was a problem decades ago before the new hospital was built".
Referring to the review by MFT, she said: "I'm really glad that this is being taken seriously. I think it will be a really good thing to have a review."
And responding to Coun Taylor's comments, she said: "I'm not sure that minor injuries really link to deprivation. I think that levelling up means that Trafford has got to try to be more together and not think of the south [of the borough] as being full of footballers and the north is really deprived because I don't think that's necessarily so."
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