Last minute reprieve fails - as Health Bosses rubber stamp Health Decision!

6.50.00pm GMT Fri 5th Jan 2007

Councillor Jean Ashworth leads the protests against the cuts!

Rochdale is set to lose its Accident and Emergency and other vital services after the Joint Committee of PCT's agreed with consultation bosses and rubber-stamped the controversial decision to close A & E, Child-Care and Maternity Services at Rochdale Infirmary. In an often emotional and high tempered meeting, those making the decision ignored angry protests.

Speaking on behalf of Paul Rowen MP - his Agent David Hennigan pleaded with them to defer the Rochdale decision until 'outstanding questions were answered'. These included the mysterious £40 Million that Health Bosses used to refuse the case for keeping open Child-Care and Maternity at the Infirmary.

David Hennigan said, "Paul Rowen MP unfortunately had booked a holiday months ago, he had however cleared his diary for when this meeting was supposed to happen in December. He asked me to speak on his behalf and I made the point that they cancelled the previous meeting, so they could defer the Rochdale decision until crucial questions had been answered. The PCT's bosses considered this, and promptly decided again it to the disappointment of the large crowd. This is a sad day for Rochdale but I know that campaigners in Rochdale will not give up. Whilst one door has closed - another has opened and the next chapter of the fight comes with the Judicial Review."

Councillor David Clayton, Rochdale Council's Portfolio Holder for Health and Social Care slammed the people who made the decision saying, "These are people who are unelected and not answerable to anyone - What sort of world do we live in where a group can come together unelected, make such a far reaching decision and then their last act was to dissolve their committee. This has been a long expensive shame from the start and a travesty of democracy."

A furious Councillor Jean Ashworth slammed Health Bosses and spoke about the effect that this would have on staff morale. She told the meeting, "This is such a vital decision and you have ignored the voice of Rochdale. Consultation? What a laugh! I will continue to work with the Friends of our Hospital on the fight and will be outspoken during the Parliamentary Lobby in London on January 16th."

People left the meeting furious that their voices hadn't been heard. An obviously distressed critic of the plan - Milkstone resident John Murray said afterwards, "There was a proposal to defer the decision - this was just ignored by the decision makers. Again, Health Bosses haven't let common sense get in the way of this cost cutting exercise."