FAIRFIELD Hospital's maternity department could have up to £1million invested to expand its services - despite health chiefs condemning it to closure.

The department, including its special care baby unit, is to be axed within the next five years along with services at Rochdale Infirmary under controversial plans to transform children and maternity services across Greater Manchester.

During a six-hour debate three weeks ago, health bosses from primary care trusts (PCTs) across the region agreed to centralise services at North Manchester, Royal Bolton, Royal Oldham, Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan, St Mary's in Central Manchester, Stepping Hill in Stockport, Wythenshawe and Tameside General Ante-natal and post-natal care will still be provided at Fairfield under the shake-up, which health chiefs say will save the lives of 20 babies each year by having larger teams of specialists working together in fewer hospitals.

The Pennine Acute Trust runs Fairfield, Rochdale, North Manchester and Royal Oldham and is now planning the process of moving services from four sites to two.

Although no formal decision has been made, it is expected that Rochdale Infirmary will close its maternity and children's in-patients services first, with patients travelling to Fairfield and North Manchester instead.

To cope with the extra patients, a new section could be constructed at Fairfield to deliver maternity and children's services which, when the department is finally closed, would then be used for other services.

A spokesman for the trust said: "The trust is currently discussing planning the implementation programme in relation to both the Making it Better and Healthy Futures decisions. No formal decision has been made, but we would probably want to move obstetrics in a phased implementation from four sites to three, then three to two, rather than moving straight from four to two.

"During that interim stage we would need more physical capacity to handle the transfer of the service, so investment would be needed.

"When maternity services make their final move, we would be able to use those buildings for other services.

"We would stress that there isn't a fixed timetable for changes yet.

"This is work that remains to be done. We certainly don't think, at this stage, that the first moves would come much more quickly than in around a year's time and that was the message to staff at our briefing.

"We will now be working up more detailed plans, with a detailed timeframe, and once that is done we will publicise details to staff and the public alike. We would expect to be able to do that at some point fairly early next year.

"It is important to re-iterate that services at both Fairfield and Rochdale Infirmary are being provided as usual at this stage."