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John Reid And His Team Spend The Day With the NHS, UK

Main Category: Public Health

Article Date: 25 Jan 2005

Ministerial Team Listen To More Than 1000 Staff In Blackburn, Burnley, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Wigan and Bolton -

Health Secretary John Reid, his ministerial team and top health tsars will visit NHS and social care services in a number of northern towns today to see how reform is being delivered on the ground.

Between them, John Reid's team will meet over 1000 staff in 24 hours over seven towns undertaking 28 visits to a diverse range of health and social care services across the North West.

John Reid said:

"I am here to celebrate improvements in the NHS which hard working staff have delivered for patients in the North West. It's a chance to see for myself on the ground the difference that more money and new ways of doing things has meant for the NHS and patients. You can now expect to see your family doctor within two days, if you go to A&E you can expect to be treated within four hours and death rates from cancer and heart disease are falling fast.

"Whilst I am here I want to see how our plans to deliver better services are being delivered on the ground. We have published two important documents in the past few months - the NHS Improvement Plan and our Public Health White Paper "Choosing Health " . But I know that it's only the hard work of staff that can make those plans a reality and that is what I will be seeing today.

"But I recognise that like all areas of the country the NHS in this area still faces a number of challenges and we are keen to listen to staff about these challenges and take on board their concerns. The whole point of this visit is to engage with staff and the local community and we are keen to learn as much as possible from the day."

On Monday 24th January John Reid will do:

-- a night visit to the Royal Bolton Hospital - to meet staff who keep the hospital going through the night - every night.

On Tuesday 25th January he will:

-- officially open Prestwich NHS Walk-in Centre that is open to patients from early until late to give people the treatment they need when they need it;

-- visit an Independent Living Centre at Blackburn with Darwen PCT and which gives people with difficult conditions like asthma and arthritis the support they need to remain living in their own homes and avoid frequent visits to hospital;

-- tour the site of a new NHS hospital - Queens Park Hospital in East Lancashire - a �110 million project which will ensure local people get the state of the art facilities they deserve

-- meet with over 1000 frontline NHS staff to hear about are local innovations are being delivered on the ground across the area.

The ministerial team and senior officials are doing the following:

-- John Hutton will visit the Eye Unit at Royal Bolton Hospital and officially open the Atherton LIFT scheme;

-- Rosie Winterton will meet student paramedics at GMAS Education and Training Centre, visit Failsworth Primary Care Resource Centre and Oldham Walk-in Centre;

-- Stephen Ladyman will visit Rochdale CAHMS and Rochdale Infirmary;

-- Lord Warner will visit the Homeless Project in Wigan and the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary;

-- Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Fiona Adshead, will visit Johnson Fold School and the Johnson Fold Family and Neighbourhood Centres. She will then visit the Rivington Unit (part of Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health Services) and The Parallel - Young People's Health Centre in Bolton;

-- CHD Tsar, Roger Boyle, will visit Greater Manchester Ambulance Service and Fairfield General Hospital in Bury;

-- Cancer Tsar, Professor Mike Richards, will visit the Radiology Department at the Wigan Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and Bealey Community Hospital in Manchester;

-- Primary Care Tsar, David Colin-Thome, will visit the Expert Patients Programme at Danes House Health Living Centre in Burnley and Burnley General Hospital.

This is the third in a series of events which allows John Reid and his team to see how record investment in the NHS is delivering better, faster and more convenient services to patients in the region. It follows on from successful visits in West Yorkshire in September and the South West in October.

All of the ministers and officials will host a staff engagement session during their visit.

For media enquiries and further information about the visits please contact the Regional Desk, Department of Health Media Centre on 020 7210 5799/5962/5436.

GNNREF: 109558
Issued by : DOH Press Office

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John Reid And His Team Spend The Day With the NHS, UK

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