HEALTH bosses have defended their decision to install a ward of portable cabins on the roof of Fairfield Hospital this winter.

Pre-fabricated units for the new ward of 15-20 beds were hoisted into place two weeks ago, as part of a package of measures aimed at coping with winter demands.

The move had prompted anger, with one nurse describing it as "a farce".

But at its latest board meeting, members of the Bury Healthcare NHS Trust vowed they would be pressing ahead with the scheme.

Acting chairman of the trust, Mrs Vera Stringer, said that "inflammatory statements" had caused patients unnecessary worry.

She said: "We made these contingency plans in good faith as a board, so that we would provide the best quality of care we could for patients in Bury.

"Regrettably, some of our patients are now going to be concerned that their admission to Fairfield may be of a second-class nature in some way. That is not true. "There would have been an even greater fuss if, in wintertime, someone was on a trolley rather than in one of these beds.

"We try to plan and make sure that things like this don't happen and still we get vilified for it."

Mrs Stringer also hit back at planners' claims that the units should not have been erected.

She said: "I had the leader of the council and chief planning officer telling me that we did have outline planning permission.

"Detailed planning permission was not in place, but it had been discussed by all parties before the ward was put in place."

The units which could be occupied in November are currently being secured onto the roof and waterproofed.

Chief executive of the Trust, Mr Philip Bacon, told the meeting that the move had been fully supported at a nursing forum and a meeting of doctors last week.

He said: "The nurses' view was that it could only be in the patients' best interests to open up another ward. There was 100 per cent support.

"The clinical doctors were unanimous in their support of the proposed agreements.

He added: "We've started detailed planning for the ward with doctors, nurses, community organisations, community healthcare, and disciplines related to medicine. Everyone is on board for the planning."

Bury Council is set to receive a £254,000 boost to provide additional care home places and support for elderly patients recovering after stays in hospital.

The government cash is aimed at alleviating winter pressures on the NHS by freeing up hospital beds that are occupied by older patients who would otherwise have been unable to leave hospital because of inadequate social services provision.