NORTHWICH'S MP has met with a health chief to seek assurances on the town's hospital services.

Mike Amesbury spoke with Tracy Bullock, chief executive of Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust, about the future of Victoria Infirmary regarding the potential moving of some services.

The trust, which also runs Leighton Hospital and Elmhurst in Winsford, recently announced it was considering moving facilities to the proposed new public services hub at the redeveloped Weaver Square.

Mike said: “A number of constituents have raised this with me both on the doorstep and via my office and they have all been very understandably concerned about the future of a valued community facility.

“During the meeting I made my position very clear that not only do I want to see like-for-like services remain in Northwich, I want to see the number of health services on offer expanded.

“It was a constructive meeting and the chief executive was receptive to these concerns.”

The hospital in Winnington Hill opened in the late 19th century, and bosses say it is now suffering from subsidence, reducing the potential to expand and upkeep services.

Mike also heard during the meeting that this summer had seen ‘unprecedented demand’ at Leighton Hospital’s A&E department.

Mike said: “To an extent, unfortunately hospitals expect increased demand in the winter, but this summer has also piled huge pressures on local services.

“Services are being stretched across the board and that comes down to funding from central government.

"The government must fund our NHS services properly if we’re to ensure we don’t continually face this situation every year where hospital A&E departments are under this type of unprecedented strain.”