ASHTON MP Angela Rayner has played host to Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth when he met staff and patients at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
Ms Rayner, who is Shadow Education Secretary, and Mr Ashworth were shown round the maternity, children's and neonatal intensive care (NICU) units.
The £44 million NICU opened in December 2012 and is home to antenatal wards, labour delivery rooms, a midwife-led birth centre, obstetric theatres, children's unit and paediatric theatre and a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit.
The Royal Oldham Hospital is one of three specialist regional neonatal centres providing the highest level of intensive care to the smallest and most vulnerable babies.
The NICU consists of 37 cots with nine intensive care, nine high dependency and 19 special care cots.
The new facilities are available for women from Oldham, Rochdale, Middleton and surrounding areas.
Approximately 5,300 babies are expected to be delivered per year at the unit.
Mr Ashworth was in Oldham to launch Oldham Healthcheck at the Civic Centre along with Ms Rayner, Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams and Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon.
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