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Maternity closures backed by health secretary

24/08/2007

Plans to shut down maternity units in Trafford, Salford, Rochdale and Bury have received the backing of health secretary Alan Johnson.

Mr Johnson has endorsed a review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel, which has called for a concentration of maternity services in eight hospitals across the city-region.

Mother and baby supercentres will be located at St Mary's in Manchester, the Royal Bolton and the Royal Oldham Hospital, while the remaining five sites will be spread out across the conurbation.

"[The panel] concluded that these changes are necessary to ensure that people in Greater Manchester have access to safe, high quality, maternity, paediatric and emergency services," said a government spokesman.

He also promised that £60 million would be invested in maternity services in the region.

Last year, Salford MP and government minister Hazel Blears joined protestors as they campaigned against the closure of the maternity unit at Hope Hospital.

However, she was accused of hypocrisy by critics who pointed out that she supported a nationwide shake-up of NHS services.