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Hospital services are safe - for now

Jenny Kirby
13/12/2006

WOMEN and children's services at Macclesfield Hospital have been spared the axe but face challenging years ahead if their survival is to be guaranteed.

Staff, patients and campaigners can breathe a sigh of relief after PCT chairman Pauline Ong said services will be retained following a 14-month fight.

But their long-term future can only be secured if Macclesfield improves its standards to equal other trusts in the Greater Manchester area within the next three to five years.

However, despite other hospitals being chosen as the preferred option, the future still looks bright for our maternity and inpatient paediatric departments.

This major victory is thanks in the main to 60,000 of our readers who signed the Hands Off Our Hospital petition.

MP Sir Nicholas Winterton said: "I am absolutely delighted, this is a fantastic result. The voice of the people has been heard and we could not be ignored.

"I was never in any doubt the consultation would not change the powers that be view that the preferred option would be adopted. But what we did in Macclesfield was show the size of the opposition to proposals to close these services."