Councils Demand Answers Over A&E Closure In Chorley
Council bosses are urging the department to reopen
Local councils have urged a hospital trust to be upfront'' about its future plans following the closure of a hospital's accident and emergency department.
Hospital bosses had come under fire following the announcement that the A&E department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital in Lancashire would close temporarily because there were not enough doctors to man the service.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said there were no other safe options for delivering care'' and closed it at the beginning of the week.
But Chorley and South Ribble Councils are demanding that it be re-opened, adding that the shutting of the service will lead to an increased pressure on neighbouring hospitals.
Collectively said that they were extremely concerned'' about the on-going closure and said that the A&E service must continue in order toensure residents get the best care possible in a timely manner''. In a joint statement the authorities pushed for more information.
The statement said: We are extremely concerned by the on-going closure of the A&E department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital and are pressing for it to be re-opened urgently.
It affects residents and visitors to the area who will be faced with longer journey times or increased waiting times as more pressure is put on the services at the Royal Preston Hospital.'' The trust had said that it had become increasingly difficult to staff the middle grade doctor rota at its emergency departments due to a combination of a national shortage of emergency medicine doctors, not enough doctors in training who help staff rotas and the application of the national agency cap. Instead of Chorley, 999 ambulances are taking patients to the Royal Preston Hospital or other nearby appropriate hospitals.
The councils' statement added: We want to see a clear action plan as to what will be done to re-open the department and a more definite time scale as to when this will be done.
We also want answers to the questions many people are asking about what the future holds for both Chorley and South Ribble and Preston hospitals.
If there is any consideration being given to closing the A&E service at the Chorley site permanently, then it is important the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust is upfront and outlines their plans for what the future could hold so we, and our residents, can provide our input.Until this time, it is our view that the A&E service must continue to be provided at both sites to ensure residents get the best care possible in a timely manner.''
More than 17,000 people have signed a petition to keep it open. The Government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures. ends