Please note, this is an archived story. Please check the date above.

North Manchester General Hospital

Trust bosses plan to cut gynaecology beds at the Crumpsall hospital from 21 to 12 to save NHS cash.

The move has been agreed by North Manchester Healthcare Trust after an emergency assessment unit was set up allowing family doctors to make an appointment within 24 hours for urgent referrals.

Trust bosses say this, alongside developments enabling many procedures to be undertaken as day or outpatient cases, has reduced demand for inpatient gynaecology services.

Major theatre lists have also been moved to the start of the week which means many patients have recovered from surgery in time go home before the weekend.

North Manchester Community Health Council now plans to send visitors to wards on the gynaecology unit to canvass patients for their views and will continue to scrutinise the quality of the service.

Karen James, the trust's medicine and family health director, explained the move aimed to increase the trust's efficiency and improve the quality of the service provided.

She said: "Following a review of the service, we believe that the 12 beds would address the current demand for gynaecology beds at the weekends."