CAMPAIGNERS will present a petition with hundreds of signatures to hospital bosses in a bid to save the Victoria Infirm-ary's inpatients ward.
June Chapman will be delivering the petition to Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust's acting chief executive Stephen Eames at the end of the month.
The 61-year-old, who has been a volunteer at the Northwich hospital for two years, has also written to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt asking her to oppose the cutbacks - and inviting her to personally visit the infirmary.
Mrs Chapman said: 'I told her she should come and see what a wonderful job we do. I thought the understanding was to use more cottage hospitals, not shut them down.
'I just cannot see the point in closing a spotless unit to send people to Leighton Hospital, which has a poor reputation.'
Alderman Ron Carey, ex-president of the infirmary's League of Friends, said of their efforts: 'They are doing a good job and their hearts are obviously in what they are doing. It's people like that you have to rely on these days.'
Trust chairman Alan White said: 'The 31-bed inpatient unit requires an investment of between £2m and £3m just to meet modern building and safety regulations. Given that, and the relatively small numbers of patients currently looked after on the unit, we believe they should be cared for in other, more appropriate, locations.'
Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall said a recent Healthcare Report which found some patients who were transferred from Leighton Hospital to the infirmary did not meet criteria for care there and there was not sufficient 24-hour cover at Northwich.
He added: 'Patients will have to go elsewhere, but Northwich only has a small number of beds anyway.
'And at the moment people have to travel to other hospitals as outpatients, so expanding Northwich's outpatient facilities is something we should look at and welcome.' nCopies of the petition are available at charity shops in Northwich, the market, the Penny Black pub and at the greengrocers on Leicester Street.
YOUR Say
Do you think the ward should be retained? Telephone: 01606 42272 E-mail: midcheshire.news@cheshirenews.co.uk
