Rochdale - Public Services

Public Services

Home Office policing in Rochdale is provided by the Greater Manchester Police and the Rochdale Division has headquarters at Town Meadow adjacent to the Magistrate's Court. Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, which has a fire station in Rochdale centre.

Emergency healthcare is provided by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The trust operates four hospitals in the North Manchester area, including the Rochdale Infirmary for the NHS. Patient transport is provided by the North West Ambulance Service. Rochdale Infirmary is the only hospital serving the town since the closure of Birch Hill Hospital which occupied the former Rochdale Union Workhouse at Dearnley in 2007. New facilities were established at Rochdale Infirmary as part of the town's healthcare restructure. Primary Care services in Rochdale are provided by the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS Primary Care Trust. In 2006 it was announced that Accident & Emergency facilities at Rochdale Infirmary would be removed as of 2011, leaving Oldham and Bury as the closest departments serving Rochdale. Confirmation that the unit would close was met with protest locally, including a march through the town centre.

Waste management is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.

Rochdale's Distribution Network Operator for electricity is United Utilities; there are no power stations in the town, but Scout Moor Wind Farm which has 26 turbines was built on the high moors between Rawtenstall and Rochdale. The wind farm generates 65MW of electricity. United Utilities also manage Rochdale's drinking and waste water. Water supplies are sourced from several reservoirs, including Watergrove, Blackstone Edge and Piethorne in Rochdale's outlying moorland.