Proposed sites for new Lancashire hospitals revealed

The trust which runs Royal Preston Hospital said a new hospital in Preston would have a "transformative impact"

The proposed locations for two new hospitals in Lancashire have been announced.

A replacement for Lancashire's Royal Lancaster Infirmary will be at Bailrigg East near Lancaster University while Royal Preston Hospital's replacement has been planned for land between Stanifield Lane and Wigan Road in Farington.

Prof Silas Nicholls, chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Preston, said the move was a "huge step forward in our bid to create a state-of-the-art new hospital".

Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, welcomed the news and said it was a pivotal moment for the community and long overdue.

The existing Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary sites will remain in place and deliver services until new hospitals are opened.

Prof Nicholls said the new hospital "would provide major trauma and specialist services to the population of Lancashire and south Cumbria and acute hospital services to central Lancashire".

He said it "will improve quality, safety and patient experience" and have a "transformative impact on the services we will be able to provide on-site".

Aaron Cummins, chief executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said a new hospital on the site in Lancaster would enable it to address the "significant problems" with the current ageing buildings at Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

He said it was an opportunity to "create a legacy" with a hospital specifically designed for the needs of the population and give them the best clinical care, adding it aims to create digitally innovative facilities which are much more cost effective and with a reduced carbon footprint.

Kevin Lavery, chief executive of NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said no final decisions had been made and that "any such decision would be subject to full public consultation at a later date".