Altrincham Hospital to stay shut due to shortage of nurses

Services at Altrincham Hospital were suspended in November last year

A minor injuries unit will remain shut until at least August due to a shortage of nurses, health bosses have said.

Services at Altrincham Hospital in Trafford were suspended in 2021 due to a lack of emergency nurse practitioners.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said the impact of Covid-19 and higher than usual staff absences meant the nurses were needed elsewhere.

Strategy director Darren Banks said a lack of recruitment was also to blame.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that in a letter to Trafford Council's health scrutiny committee, which will meet on Tuesday, Mr Banks said the trust was caring for "significant numbers" of patients with Covid-19, whilst also facing "higher than usual staff absences associated with the ongoing management of the pandemic".

He said the trust was prioritising emergency nurse practitioners at Trafford General Hospital's urgent treatment centre and at Wythenshawe Hospital's emergency department to treat the "the most acutely unwell patents", whihc had "ensured that these two key services remain both clinically safe and accessible".

Services at the unit on Railway Street were suspended in November.

Mr Banks said the trust had been "trying very hard" to attract emergency nurse practitioners, but added that there was a "national challenge" in recruiting suitable staff.

He said a "detailed options appraisal" had begun into which services can be provided from Altrincham Hospital without having to rely on the specialist nurses, while also maintaining "safe and sustainable" services for patients.

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