I HAVE been reading with great interest the debate which has be on-going concerning the potential for changes to the services provided at Fairfield General Hospital.

My partner and I both work for the NHS and our son was recently treated on the children's ward at Fairfield; we have nothing but praise for the care he received during his stay and the nursing staff deserve our thanks. Their dedication to care for the patients in the face of job uncertainty, lack of staff and equipment was immense.

During his stay another parent made a complaint about the service they were receiving; as a result one of the nurses was nearly driven to tears. Perhaps on this occasion their frustrations and anger would have been better directed at senior management of the Trust?

Patients are routinely moved around the Pennine Acute Trust A&E units on so-called "diverts". These diverts add extra time for the ambulance journeys thus potentially delaying care for the patient. They also result in the patients often being miles away from their relatives, and not everyone has a car to get around. What happens then?

If the changes are made permanent then the effect for Bury residents in accessing acute A&E care and the availability of an ambulance could be significant. Yet we all stand by and let this happen.

I say now is the time action. Do we really want to have to put up with long journey times to get A&E care because the nearest unit is in Oldham? Our son has a medical condition and I certainly don't want to have to face the prospect of having to travel to another town for care which is currently available in my home town.

If this happens then I will seriously consider moving to an area where health care resources for my son match his needs not what the directors of the local Trust deem appropriate.

The merger of several Trusts to make Pennine Acute Trust was supposed to make services better for the those living within the area; instead we are faced by constant fear over which service is being moved where and the effect this is having on staff morale is enormous.

Staff told us of their sheer frustration and despair at the current situation and the lack of information coming from those who were supposed to be leading them.

When our son was in Fairfield I discovered that several key doctors and nurses had left to secure "safer" jobs elsewhere, yet the management of Pennine tell us that services aren't affected. How many times has the maternity unit been unavailable to Bury women? How many times are ambulances diverted around the Trust?

What will it take for everyone in Bury to wake up and start taking determined action to prevent out town losing key services? Or is everyone so apathetic to the possibility of it actually happening that the time they will start to complain is after the services are gone?

I have requested that my name be not used as it could be used against me. However, I feel that the situation is so serious that I am duty bound to let the public know what is happening.

HOSPITAL USER