Nurses oppose unit’s closure

Janine Dyson... extremely concerned by closure of the recovery unit in Shaw

15 jobs under threat in cost-cutting move

NURSING union the RCN has called on health bosses to make a U-turn on plans to axe a costly patient recovery unit in Shaw.

The facility, based at the BUPA-run Shawside Residential and Nursing Home, Oldham Road, is due to shut at the end of the month, leaving 15 jobs hanging in the balance.

NHS Oldham announced the move last month as it bids to balance its books.

The Oldham Community Recovery Unit costs £2 million a year to run, and was opened as a temporary measure in 2009 to give people brief, intensive support for a few days after leaving hospital.

Now the nurses union is seeking an urgent review of the closure, saying it helps prevent costly repeat hospital admissions and bed-blocking.

RCN officer for Greater Manchester, Oldham’s Janine Dyson, said: “We’re extremely concerned by these proposals and their direct impact on patients and their care.

“The unit provides important intensive support to patients discharged from hospital but not ‘fit’ enough to cope at home.

“Staff provide therapy at Shawside to help patients with the transition between hospital and home, ensuring they return home fully recovered and able to manage all the activities associated with daily life.”

She said it was a popular frontline service used by around 50 patients a month, each receiving an average of nine days therapy.

“Staff and patients are understandably angry and upset about the true impact of this closure.

“The trust should be looking at alternative cost-savings measures and addressing local NHS waste, not cutting care and jobs,” she said.

The RCN has called for a meeting to urge the Overview and Scrutiny Health and Well-Being Select Group at Oldham Council to review the decision quickly before the unit shuts at the end of January.

“This decision has been slipped through without any real or meaningful consultation with service users, staff or the public, nor have we seen any alternative plans to provide the intermediate care provide by Shawside,” said Mrs Dyson.

The NHS in the North West has to slash around £20bn from its budget over the next three years.

But the union believes the recovery unit saves money by keeping patients who need a little extra support out of hospital.