A REVIEW of health and care services is under way in a bid to ‘provide the best care possible for patients across the area’.

Under the proposed model, rather than all 10 hospitals in Greater Manchester trying to deliver everything, a smaller number of hospitals will be designated as specialist hospitals which will deal with the most complex, difficult and urgent cases.

Those hospitals that are not designated as specialist ones will continue to deliver a range of services as general hospitals and will keep their accident and emergency departments.

Andrew Foster, chief executive of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, said: “If there are to be specialist hospitals then I would say that Wigan Infirmary should be one of them. If WWL is not chosen as a specialist hospital, then the future of services at sites such as Leigh Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital may be at risk.

“We feel that the public of Leigh and Wigan should benefit from having our main hospital site in Wigan with specialist status.

“We are asking the public for their support in responding to the Healthier Together consultation questionnaire.”

The plans have been developed over the course of the past two years, with patients, carers, as well as doctors, nurses and other care professionals, and aim to deliver the best health and care services in the country.

It is hoped Healthier Together will see more services provided in the community and closer to home, but some healthcare professionals have raised concerns about the proposals.

Trish Anderson, chief officer of NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is really important that residents in the borough get to have their say on what their NHS services should look like and this is the first major step in that process.”

NHS England has given the Greater Manchester Healthier Together Team, led by the 12 Clinical Commissioning Groups in Greater Manchester, the go-ahead to seek the opinions of residents.

Visit healthiertogethergm.nhs.uk.

A REVIEW of health and care services is under way in a bid to ‘provide the best care possible for patients across the area’.

Under the proposed model, rather than all 10 hospitals in Greater Manchester trying to deliver everything, a smaller number of hospitals will be designated as specialist hospitals which will deal with the most complex, difficult and urgent cases.

Those hospitals that are not designated as specialist ones will continue to deliver a range of services as general hospitals and will keep their accident and emergency departments.

Andrew Foster, chief executive of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, said: “If there are to be specialist hospitals then I would say that Wigan Infirmary should be one of them. If WWL is not chosen as a specialist hospital, then the future of services at sites such as Leigh Infirmary and Wrightington Hospital may be at risk.

“We feel that the public of Leigh and Wigan should benefit from having our main hospital site in Wigan with specialist status.

“We are asking the public for their support in responding to the Healthier Together consultation questionnaire.”

The plans have been developed over the course of the past two years, with patients, carers, as well as doctors, nurses and other care professionals, and aim to deliver the best health and care services in the country.

It is hoped Healthier Together will see more services provided in the community and closer to home, but some healthcare professionals have raised concerns about the proposals.

Trish Anderson, chief officer of NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is really important that residents in the borough get to have their say on what their NHS services should look like and this is the first major step in that process.”

NHS England has given the Greater Manchester Healthier Together Team, led by the 12 Clinical Commissioning Groups in Greater Manchester, the go-ahead to seek the opinions of residents.

Visit healthiertogethergm.nhs.uk.