Controversial urgent care unit will not revert to full A&E status

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust closed Burnley General Hospital A&E department in November 2007, moving emergency services to Blackburn.

But after extensive pressure from local groups and MPs - including health secretary Andrew Lansley - an independent review of Burnley urgent care centre was carried out earlier this year.

The review was led by Department of Health national director for emergency and urgent care Matthew Cooke and Cumbria primary care trust medical director Irving Cobden. It found “no evidence” that the present system was unsafe, but said there were “inconsistencies” in service availability.

It said the “full potential” of the urgent care centre to provide a local service for dealing with emergencies not requiring more specialised care had “not been recognised”.

Despite plans to allow more emergency cases to go to Burnley, the review team found only five or six patients a day were taken there by ambulance.

“On occasions the crews were vigorously challenged on why they had come to Burnley; this tended to mean crews choose Blackburn where all cases are accepted. We believe there is more potential for the ambulance services to convey patients to Burnley UCC,” the report said.

A spokesman for NHS North West said some minor trauma and orthopaedic cases, some elderly care patients and some ambulance patients could be treated at Burnley.

A spokeswomen for East Lancashire Hospitals and NHS East Lancashire said in a joint statement they had “fully accepted” the recommendations.”