Macclesfield MP David Rutley will visit Macclesfield Hospital this week to thank staff for their hard work around the festive season, which is a particularly busy time of year for NHS services.
David will be accompanied by East Cheshire NHS Trust Chairman Lynn McGill and Director of Nursing, Performance and Quality Kath Senior on a tour of the Accident and Emergency Department, Ward 10 and Medical Assessment Unit during one of his regular seasonal visits.
David said: “It is always an honour to visit Macclesfield Hospital in the run-up to Christmas, and to be able to thank all the staff for the commitment and dedication they demonstrate every day of the year, in serving our community.
“I also welcome the chance to meet patients and have the opportunity to wish them a speedy recovery and the best for the New Year. We should all be very grateful to our doctors and nurses for all that they do in these often challenging winter months.”
Lynn McGill added: “We are looking forward to welcoming David to the hospital again this year and hope his visit proves useful and informative.
"The three departments David is due to visit are particularly relevant to understand the challenges facing hospitals during the winter months. I am sure our staff – many of whom will be working over Christmas and New Year - will appreciate the recognition David’s visit will bring.”
A&E is often referred to as the ‘front door’ of the hospital, specialising in the rapid assessment and treatment of serious illness and injury. Macclesfield Hospital’s A&E cares for around 52,000 patients per year, many of whom are frail and elderly with complex needs.
Meanwhile, Macclesfield Hospital’s Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) also receives a high volume of patients, taking referrals each day from A&E, local GP surgeries or other departments in the hospital, and Ward 10 provides orthopaedic services, often to frail and elderly patients following a fall.
With hospitals becoming very busy over the winter months, it is particularly important that local residents ‘choose well’ when accessing NHS services. NHS 111, GPs, GP out-of-hours and local pharmacies can offer help, advice and treatment for lots of common conditions. A list of local pharmacies across Eastern Cheshire and their opening hours can be found here on East Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s website