Jobs and beds axed
as hospital bids
to balance books
by David Skentelbery
MORE than 100 posts are to be axed, 90 beds closed and two operating theatres shut at Warrington Hospital as part of a plan to deliver ?financial balance? by March next year.
The cut-backs are part of a financial recovery plan drawn up by North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital and Halton General at Runcorn.
But the Trust has firmly denied rumours which have been sweeping the town for weeks that Warrington?s maternity unit is to close and the service transferred to Whiston Hospital on Merseyside.
A spokeswoman said: ?No such plans exist at all.? Although 104 posts are to go at Warrington, Trust chief executive Catherine Beardshaw said the staff reductions would be managed in a way which aimed to avoid a redundancy situation by utilising vacant posts already held for this purpose.
The Trust had already achieved a reduction of 105 beds at the end of 2006 following the transfer of acute medical wards from Halton Hospital to Warrington and the move of planned surgical services to the Halton site, again without any members of staff losing their jobs.
Improved efficiency and productivity in four key areas – bed utilisation, theatre utilisation, medical productivity and administrative and clerical working practices ? will help make the cut-back painless.
Removing the inefficiencies will mean improvements for patients and less frustration for staff, says the Trust. But the same level of care and activity will be maintained.
The bed changes will take place between April and June this year across a range of specialties on the Warrington site including medicine, general surgery, gynaecology and trauma and orthopaedic surgery.
Dr Stephen Bentley, Consultant Physician, who has been leading these changes said, “Many patients have undoubtedly been staying in hospital longer than they should because of unnecessary delays in the system. Clinicians and managers alike are all determined to make these changes happen.” The equivalent of two operating theatres at Warrington can be closed without the loss of any activity if new systems are introduced to improve the way theatres work and specialties are organised. The first theatre will close in April and the second in June, when more planned surgical activity will transfer to a new theatre opened at Halton in December.
Fifteen posts will be affected by these changes but every member of staff will be redeployed within the Trust.
Ms Beardshaw said: “I have been very open about the financial challenge the Trust faces. Our financial recovery plan requires us to save ?18.4m by March 2008 and we are making good progress towards this.
?Our current forecast is that we will have a deficit of ?8.8m at the end of March after achieving ?5.2m savings this year. The actions described will deliver a further ?3m savings against our total target. We want to be the provider of choice for local people. To succeed in this we need to be sure that we improve the way patients experience our services by driving efficiency, productivity and effectiveness in all areas of the Trust.?
Students “humbling”
visit to tribal community
by Lesley Wilkinson
WARRINGTON students had the opportunity to see first hand how their fundraising had helped a poor community, during a visit to Kenya.
A party of 36 students and staff from Priestley College visited the remote West Pokot region to see what had been achieved by their Runo School Appeal.
The appeal started after a previous visit back in 2005, and more than ?4,000 has been raised.
Funds raised by the college helped build a new school building – as previously up to 200 children were taught in scorching temperatures sheltering under trees.
During their visit the Priestley team saw the Runo school take delivery of hand carved benches paid for by the college. They saw how the school, now with seven teachers, helps the children, including many orphans.
To thank the college the school gave a full tribal ceremony of singing and dancing at which staff and students were given gifts of necklaces, headbands, stools and ceremonial sticks. Many of the visitors were moved to tears by the gratitude shown.
The Warrington students also carried out a series of cultural and coursework activities including panning for gold, visits to health clinics, the local police station and a giraffe rescue centre where they hand-fed giraffes.
It was also a special occasion for students Dominic Slater and Lauren Thorley who both celebrated their 18th birthdays and were given a traditional Pokot present of a live chicken.
The students on the trip raised a further ?400, which they gave to a destitute local woman who could not afford the life saving medical treatment required by her and her brother.
Bev Whittaker, curriculum manager for early years and health and social care, said: “I would like to place on record my heart felt gratitude to everybody who not only made this trip a great success but also continues to support our aims with the Runo School Appeal.”
Student Sarah Dodd said: “I can’t even describe how much I have gained from this experience, it really did have a humbling effect on me. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Since returning I have realised just how fortunate we are to have things like running water and public transport.”
Mobile crane collapses
on industrial estate
by John Hendon
A GIANT mobile crane collapsed on a Warrington industrial estate ? but miraculously no-one was hurt.
The incident took place at the Lingley Mere Industrial Estate at Great Sankey.
The cab of the crane ended some 25ft in the air.
It is understood the crane was working for construction company AMEC.
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive confirmed the crane had collapsed.
He said HSE inspectors arrived at the scene within an hour of a call about the incident, together with a specialist engineering inspector. He said the incident was being investigated.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Woman falsely claimed
?12,709 in benefits
by court reporter
A WARRINGTON woman who falsely claimed ?12,709 in benefits as a single woman while living with her partner appeared before Runcorn Magistrates Court.
Margaret Flood, 36, of West Drive, Great Sankey, pleaded guilty to falsely claiming the money from the council.
Between May 2000 and May 2003 she defrauded the council of ?10,780 Housing Benefit and ?1, 929 Council Tax benefit.
She was sentenced to a 240 hours Community Punishment Order and ordered to pay back the overpayment and ?150 costs.
Adrian Webster, the council’s benefits manager, said: “There are no ifs, no buts when it comes to benefit fraud. Deliberately withholding information that affects your claim is stealing.
That’s why we are targeting benefit thieves. “Benefit thieves must realise that they cannot abuse the benefit system and steal from the rest of society. They are not just defrauding the Government, but their own tax paying neighbours and communities in Warrington.”
Hotel extension
gets the go-ahead
by Lesley Wilkinson
DESPITE protests that an extension to a hotel would cause extra noise and parking problems, plans were approved by Warrington Borough Council.
Neighbours and Stockton Heath Parish Council opposed an extension and alterations to the front of the Fir Grove Hotel, Knutsford Old Road, Grappenhall.
The plans are for a single storey glazed structure across the front of the building, to provide an extended entrance lobby, with a link through to the suites.
Double doors are proposed to separate the various suites with an open aperture and sliding screens replacing existing windows and doors to the front of the Grappenhall Suite. The extension will project up to 6.8 metres from the existing building line.
The parish council claimed there was insufficient parking on the site for some functions and that visitors used nearby residential roads for parking. Members said on-site parking would be reduced from 79 to 64 spaces, adding to the parking problem.
Members were also concerned that the proposed conservatory would provide the necessary sound proofing to ensure neighbours are not disturbed by noise.
Neighbours complained the extension was out of character with the area, would mean extra parking problems and were also concerned about noise not being quelled by the glass structure. They also felt that the glass frontage could cause glare by reflecting light.
But plans were approved by the development control committee, subject to the approval of final details by the highways department.
Would-be soap stars can
audition of community TV
by staff reporter
ANYONE who sees themselves as a potential “soap” star should sign up for auditions for Warrington’s own television series.
Open auditions are being held on Saturday for budding actors to appear in The Big Idea “soap” on Warrington’s community internet TV channel. They will be held at Culcheth High School, Withington Avenue, from 9am and are open to anyone over the age of 18.
The channel aims to showcase programmes made by local community groups and individuals. Since its launch in October it has broadcast local content regularly and is currently training volunteers in broadcasting.
Organisers are now targeting Culcheth and hope to get local people involved in learning new skills.
TA soldier in military
skills competition
by Lesley Wilkinson
A WARRINGTON soldier was part of a team that finished third in a Territorial Army (TA) military skills competition to find the best team in the North West.
Sergeant David Hughes, 29, of Bewsey, competed in the eight-man team of D Company 4th Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (4 LANCS).
It finished third in the Derby Trophy, held each year for the bigger TA units in the region.
Sgt Hughes, partner of Lindsey, a social worker, has served in the TA since 1995. He trains at the TA Centre in Ardwick Green, Manchester, and is a platoon sergeant in a rifle company.
When not working for the TA Sgt Hughes, a former pupil of Great Sankey High School, is a nurse at Radcliffe Meadows Nursing Home.
His TA career has included training exercises in places such as Cyprus, the Ascension Islands, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
After the competition he said: “This is a hard, proper training – real infantry training. I really enjoy being in the TA. You get a good sense of team work and it’s a bit of a laugh – and you get to travel to lots of different places.”
