Hospital braced for a baby boom

THE Royal Oldham Hospital is set for a baby boom when maternity services close at the Rochdale Infirmary on June 25.

In-patient maternity, neonatal and in-patient paediatric services will move from Rochdale to Oldham as part of the regional shake-up of maternity services under the banner Making It Better.

Mums-to-be in Rochdale will be diverted to the Royal Oldham where the current maternity ward is being refurbished and expended to cater for the extra deliveries.

Building work is well under way for the new £44m Women and Children’s super centre at the Royal Oldham, which will provide the highest level of intensive care to the most vulnerable babies when it opens in December, 2012.

Concerns have been raised by Rochdale councillor and infirmary campaigner Jean Ashworth as to whether the Royal Oldham can cope in the meantime.

She said: “My fear is will the unit be big enough for all the patients?

“Parking is an issue at Oldham, and some bus services from Rochdale to the hospital have been cut.

“I know of three young mums who are due to give birth around June 25 who have been told they are going to the Royal Oldham Hospital, but what about patient choice?

“This is a real concern for me.”

A spokesman for The Pennine Acute Trust, which runs hospitals in Oldham, Rochdale, Bury and North Manchester, said it was necessary that the timing of the transfer of in-patient maternity services was closely linked to the transfer of other acute in-patient services from Rochdale Infirmary.

He said: “The existing maternity ward and facilities and children’s wards at Royal Oldham Hospital are being refurbished and expanded to allow the enhanced services for women and children from Oldham, Rochdale and surrounding districts to be provided until the new purpose-built development is completed.”