BOOTH HALL Children’s hospital is to close its doors in under four years.

It will be replaced by a new children's 'super hospital' in central Manchester in April 2009.

And it means that young patients from Middleton and North Manchester will have further to travel to get access the same specialist children's services that have been provided at the Booth Hall site since 1915.

This new children's hospital will replace both Booth Hall and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (Pendlebury) to deliver specialist services such as bone marrow transplantation, orthopaedics, neurosciences, plastic surgery, respiratory medicine and paediatric intensive care.

At the same time, it is hoped that more children's care will take place in the community - in Middleton at three new clinics planned for central Middleton, Alkrington and Rhodes.

But many local people feel that their views have not been sufficiently taken into account.

Back in 1994 townsfolk were up in arms about the prospect of Booth Hall closing, and now they have come forward once again.

The Rev Ian Cook, of St Gabriel's Church, Middleton Junction, was personally affected last time Booth Hall was threatened with closure as his grandson, then just two years old, was turned away from the Royal Oldham as he was too young.


If the same happened in 2009 this could mean a detour into central Manchester, which could easily take an hour in rush-hour traffic - not ideal with an ill baby.

Rev Cook said: “Booth Hall has a big attachment to our area as it has served so many local children. There might be all sorts of financial reasons to close it, but communities need services in their communities.

“I don't think people who make these decisions understand the views of local people.“

Councillor Lil Murphy, who travelled to Parliament in 1994 to protest against Booth Hall's closure, said: “I think to build a hospital in the middle of Manchester is a bad idea. It's no good for people on this side of Greater Manchester who haven't got their own transport.

“I'm still against Booth Hall closing as we fought long and hard for it to stay open.“

MP Graham Stringer also remains against the decision, although tomorrow (Friday) he will officially launch the beginning of building work at the new children's hospital in Manchester.

He told the Guardian: “I have always opposed the closure of Booth Hall. The decision was taken by Stephen Dorrell (the then health secretary) in March 1997 in the dying days of the Conservative government.

“I was against it then and I remain against it now. It was a wrong decision, but now we have to ensure that the new children's hospital is as good as it can be, and also that the regular non-specialised children's facilities are moved into North Manchester General Hospital.

“They have to honour the pledge that was given by Stephen Dorrell that, when Booth Hall closes, the basic children's facilities and Accident and Emergency would be transferred to North Manchester General.

“That is a commitment that has been given to me by the health service and it is something I have felt very strongly about.“

A spokesman for the NHS said: "The new specialist children's hospital will offer exceptional opportunities for staff to continue developing their specialist paediatric knowledge and skills across a broad range of children's healthcare services, in an environment that will meet the changing demands for children's healthcare.

“This will enable us to develop, expand and continuously improve our services.

“The transfer to a major teaching hospital site will also encourage innovation and improve the quality of our healthcare services through stronger and wider clinical links."

Non-specialist services, including paediatric surgery and paediatric inpatients, will be housed in the Pennine Acute hospitals - North Manchester General, The Royal Oldham, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield - but instead of these services being located on every site, as they are at present, they will be concentrated in two.

It has not yet been confirmed which two hospitals will house these paediatric units, but NHS bosses will be taking into account a variety of factors including the views of local people, travel times, numbers of children in certain areas and the size of each hospital.