'People could die' - Miscarrying women could have to travel two hours in plans to move emergency unit
Plans to relocate emergency gynaecology services from Salford Royal Hospital to Royal Oldham Hospital, over 20 miles away, have raised concerns about increased travel times and potential risks to patients, including miscarrying women. Critics, including Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, warn that the move could delay critical care and lead to fatalities, especially for those without access to affordable transport. The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust insists no final decision has been made and that patient access and safety are being considered.
Women suffering miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies in Salford may soon face two-hour journeys for emergency care under confidential proposals to strip gynaecology services from Salford Royal Hospital and concentrate them 20 miles away at the Royal Oldham.
The plan, discussed quietly within the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) for roughly three months, would eliminate the 24-hour emergency gynaecology unit that currently treats severe abdominal pain, pregnancy complications and life-threatening bleeding. From outlying districts such as Irlam and Cadishead, the 20-mile dash to Oldham can exceed an hour in rush-hour traffic and cost £40 by cab, while public transport connections take up to two hours each way. With a third of Salford households lacking a car, clinicians warn that geography alone will deter the young, low-income and acutely ill from seeking help.
Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, alerted to the impending announcement, has written to NCA chief executive Owen Williams demanding the scheme be halted: “A Salford woman who is actively bleeding with a miscarriage could be geographically unable to reach specialist staff in time. If women don’t seek help urgently, disaster can happen.” Sources inside the trust say rotas at the Royal Oldham are already stretched and predict the move will “cause fatalities”, while ambulance crews—obliged to treat patients already on hospital premises as “safe”—would not prioritise transfers to Oldham. The trust’s medical director, Dr Rafik Bedair, insists “no decisions have been made” and pledges that “all aspects of the patient journey, including access to treatment and travel, will be carefully considered.”
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