A NURSE at the Leigh Infirmary has criticised hospital bosses after she claimed that two wards for the elderly will close to make way for a new ward in Wigan.

She claims that long-serving members of staff from Wards Two and Three, which caters for the rehabilitation of the elderly, have not been offered other jobs at the hospital at The Avenue.

And she alleges that staff have been given an ultimatum by bosses -- either move over to the hospital in Wigan or face possible redundancy.

But a spokeswoman for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS denied that any jobs were at risk.

The nurse, who works at one of the wards affected, but wished to remain anonymous because of fear of reprisals from management, said: "The wards closing are for those elderly people who need a bit of rehabilitation. They are opening a acute ward for the elderly in Wigan but there will be nowhere to go for patients who need rehabilitation.

"The way the management have gone about this with staff has been nasty. Staff with long service have not been offered any of the jobs which were available at Leigh, they have been offering those jobs to staff with less experience. They have told us that if we don't want to move over to hospitals in Wigan or Whelley then we would have to take redundancy.

Finish

"There are quite a few people who will have to finish because they cannot get to Wigan or Whelley."

A spokeswoman for the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, said: "The Trust is embarking on a significant programme of investment in health services locally and is working in partnership with the PCT and Social Services to improve services for older people across the borough.

"This will include providing additional beds for acutely ill elderly people and improving the range of community health and social care services for elderly people in Leigh."

"In parallel with this development, Leigh Infirmary will be the focus of significant investment as work is completed to establish a Diagnostic and Treatment Centre on the site. This will improve access to surgery for patients across the borough."

"There is absolutely no question of any member of staff working at Leigh Infirmary being at risk of redundancy as a result of these exiting developments."