Chorley A&E set to reopen in January
Chorley's A&E is set to reopen for 12 hours a day from January.
An independent review has found it should open on a part time basis from the new year, with the expected date set for the middle of January.
The review also found Lancashire Teaching Hospitals could have done more to get the unit open sooner.
The review was requested by both local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Lindsay Hoyle MP
The report found, however, that it isn’t feasible to reopen the department on a 24-hour-a-day basis.
It has been agreed that it wouldn’t be practical or safe to open the department before then, because it would require staff to work excessive hours, and would compromise the major trauma centre at Preston.
Full implementation of the recommendations will only be possible when the urgent care centre is fully operational and is in place to provide additional resource where required.
Councillor Alistair Bradley, Leader of Chorley Council, says: “We certainly welcome the recommendation to re-open the A&E on a part-time basis but I don’t personally see why we need to wait until January as the report clearly states that the current staffing levels should provide a basis for a part-time re-opening of the emergency department.
“It also warns about ‘significant concerns’ with the ability of the Royal Preston Hospital to cope with winter pressures so this is yet another reason to get it open next month and not wait until we hit a crisis and people’s health could be being put at risk.”
“I will be pushing, alongside Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle, for the A&E to be re-opened as soon as possible and I think it would go some way towards restoring the public’s trust in the management if they could get this done in November, and show their commitment to restoring the service we need in Chorley.
“I’d like to state my admiration for everyone who has been backing the campaign to save the A&E as the overwhelming public pressure has undoubtedly played its part in getting to where we are today and it is important the hospital trust keep us all informed about their plans for the future so we can avoid having a situation like this again.”
Karen Partington, Chief Executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The new provider taking over the urgent care centre from January gives us the opportunity to redeploy our staff and work in a different way so that we can safely reinstate the emergency department part time.
“We have just successfully appointed a middle grade doctor, and will be continuing to try to recruit more, as well as extra consultants and nurses to ensure the service is sustainable. Until we can make these further appointments, our staff have agreed to work extra hours to keep the service running and we thank them for their continued support and commitment.
“Temporarily replacing the emergency department with an urgent care centre was one of the most difficult decisions we ever had to make, however it was the best possible option to provide safe care in the circumstances.
“We know this has been a matter of great concern for local people and are deeply sorry for the anxiety this has caused."