UNCERTAINTY still hangs over the future of Wythenshawe Hospital's transplant centre - in the week that its new £1.9 million ward opened.

A report in a national newspaper claiming that Wythenshawe's threatened transplant centre had won a reprieve has been dismissed.

The article said Wythenshawe would be one of the four centres of excellence to be retained - with units at Birmingham, Sheffield and Birmingham closing.

But a spokesman for the NHS Executive insists no decision had been taken and the review of heart transplant services had not been completed: "As far as we are concerned, no decision has been made as yet and we will not hear anything until the summer."

And a spokesman for the New Heart/New Start charity that supports the centre said the report was 'speculation'.

He told Messenger: "The situation remains the same. The Department of Health will make its recommendations public after the General Election. After that there would be a six week period of public consultation, and the final decision would be made at the end of August.

"Whatever decision is made would not be implemented until April 2002.

"The uncertainty affects the morale of staff and of patients. It is also having a damaging effect on fundraising.

"Of course we hope the article is correct - but at this stage it is pure speculation."

But spirits had been boosted by the opening of the 16-bed Jim Quick Ward - to provide a world-leading fully integrated transplant unit. It is named after the late heart transplant patient from Hale who devoted himself to raising funds for the appeal after his operation. Messenger's Millennium Walk helped to boost the appeal.

The number of transplant units is being reduced because the number of transplant operations is falling.

But the New Heart-New Start spokesman adds: "Ideally, all the units would remain open. That view has been supported by Dr Christiaan Barnard who says it does not make clinical or economic sense to close down any of them."