Single A&E department in central Lancashire 'will save lives'

The temporary closure of Chorley's A&E in 2016 prompted protests, too

A single accident and emergency unit in central Lancashire will save lives and mean fewer cancelled operations, says a medical director.

Under draft NHS proposals Chorley and Preston hospitals would share one emergency department and elective surgery be concentrated at the other.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust which runs both hospitals said the move would be beneficial to patients.

Protect Chorley Hospital group pledged to fight plans at a protest meeting.

Dr Geraldine Skailes said the main reason for a single A&E unit was for the "safety and quality of care" for patients

The proposals do not specify where the A&E department would be but Protect Chorley Hospital Against Cuts And Privatisation campaigners believe the Chorley site would lose its current unit under the reorganisation of services across Preston, Chorley and South Ribble called "Our Health, Our Care".

Steven Turner from the group which held an urgent meeting on Tuesday said: "Our area is growing.

"It serves 320,000 people therefore what we need to do is make sure these people have an accident and emergency unit."

Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle told a protest meeting if the town lost its A&E unit it would be an "absolute disgrace"

Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle told the meeting the town losing its A&E department would be an "absolute disgrace".

However, Dr Geraldine Skailes - Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's medical director - defended the proposals, saying evidence suggested emergency patients received a better quality of care in specialist centres.

"The primary reason we are doing this is because of safety and quality of care for our patients," she said.

She added it would also reduce last minute cancellations for emergencies.

"If we are able to provide a dedicated centre for elective or planned surgery then [patients] don't run that risk of their beds being taken and stand a much higher chance of... having their procedure performed on the day it is planned."

Protester Steven Turner has pledged to fight the plans

The trust insists nothing has been decided yet and informal public consultation starts in "mid-September".

Chorley Hospital's A&E department was shut and downgraded to an urgent care service in April 2016, prompting protests, before it reopened on a part-time basis in January 2017.