INMATES at Strangeways Prison will be consulted over how to run hospitals and community health services.

Health officials will visit HMP Manchester to quiz prisoners about their views on health care issues as part of the biggest-ever shake-up of health services in north Manchester.

It is thought to be the first time prisoners have been directly consulted in an NHS review.

Two managers from North Manchester Primary Care Trust will visit the prison to speak to prisoners about the "Healthy Futures" review.

It proposes cutting the number of specialist baby units and breast cancer care units, concentrating them over a smaller number of specialised sites, and treating more children and adults with long-term illnesses at home.

Booklets setting out the proposals are available in the prison library.

Maternity

At the same time, the inmates will be asked for their views about a second review called "Making it Better", which covers the whole of Greater Manchester, Cheshire and High Peak, looking solely at children's services and maternity.

Phil Parkinson, patient and public involvement manager, said he and colleague Sue Curzon, consultations co-ordinator for North Manchester PCT, were hoping to meet as many prisoners as possible.

"HMP Manchester's population is part of the population of North Manchester and we provide healthcare services for everyone within that area. The prisoners range from people who are on remand, waiting to appear in court, up to those serving life, which means they could be from anywhere in the country.

"However, while they are at the prison they receive health services from us and that is why we need to consult them. There is also a reasonable number of people who come from this area in the prison who will use our services on their release."

Proposals

The Strategic Health Authority is overseeing the two health reviews, believed to be among the biggest in the country.

Proposals include cutting the number of specialist baby units in North Manchester from four to two, with the remaining hospitals having birthing centres staffed by midwives. It also suggests giving breast cancer care at one hospital instead of four.

The proposals have attracted some controversy, especially from staff and parents at Fairfield Hospital, who fear their special care baby unit will go, even though no decision has been announced.

But the Strategic Health Authority and doctors who back the idea say services are spread too thinly over the 13 hospitals in Greater Manchester, meaning wards often have to close due to staff shortages.

They say it would be better to bring specialised staff together on a smaller number of sites.

Mr Parkinson added: "The whole aim of this consultation is to speak to as many people as possible and get a truly representative range of views about health care in North Manchester, and so we believe this is an important part of the consultation."

People are invited to give their opinions as part of the two reviews.

Call 0800 587 2901 for more information on the Making It Better review of children's services, or 0161 655 1712 for the Healthy Futures review on health care in North Manchester. Log on to http://www.bestforhealth.nhs.uk for further information.