Hospital to evict its CAB

LOOKING FOR SUPPORT . . . Anne-Marie Sheehy, ward visiting officer, and Steve Blairs, service manager

THE Royal Oldham Hospital’s Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) is facing eviction, according to its boss.

Jonathan Yates, chief executive of Oldham CAB, said the hospital’s estate manager has told the service to leave.

The service, which is commissioned by Oldham Primary Care Trust (PCT), has been based in the Chalmers Keddie Building at the hospital since 1986.

The two paid staff and eight volunteers run a drop-in and appointment service five days a week as well as making ward visits.

But, despite working from the site for 22 years, it has never had a formal agreement with the hospital.

Now Mr Yates fears the future of the branch is under threat and he is appealing to the authorities to be allowed to remain on site.

He said: “We have operated a service within hospital grounds for the past 20 years that is funded by PCT.

“The Pennine Acute Trust (PAT), which runs the hospital, are saying they are short of space on hospital grounds.

“Because we’ve no official contract with the PAT and never had have, they are evicting us.

“They are stopping us from performing what the PCT is wanting us to deliver.

“We are trying to find other premises nearby.”

Mr Yates said the service was told a fortnight ago to vacate the premises within six weeks.

He fears the move will leave patients, their families and staff without a valuable advice service.

In the six months from April, the hospital branch has received 1,393 enquiries. There were 2,651 enquiries for the year 2007-08.

And there have already been 1,028 enquiries to the ward service from April, compared to 1,174 last year.

Mr Yates said: “It is quite upsetting, they don’t realise the true value of it.

“The PCT funds this particular service but it is reliant on the PAT’s provision of space. There is very much a possibility it will close.”

Mr Yates said they would appeal against the decision but were also looking at alternative bases.

He said: “We are hoping to get somewhere else on the hospital grounds but if not we do need somewhere very close.

“Whether we can get that free or whether we can get additional funding is another matter. We want people to write in and support our appeal.”

Gail Richards, Oldham Primary Care Trust chief executive, said: “The funding for this and other Citizens Advice Bureau services in community settings remains.

“We will continue to look at how we can ensure people can continue to access their excellent services.”

A spokesman for the Pennine Acute Trust said: “Mr Yates has written to our chief executive and we will be discussing this matter with him.”