Angry Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle hits out at handling of A&E closure

Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle has written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt saying that people “have no confidence” in Chorley and South Ribble Clinical Commissioning Group and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals over their handling of the closure of Chorley’s A&E department.

It comes as Mr Hoyle and Chorley Council leader Alistair Bradley were barred from attending meetings of the joint System Resilience Group, which discusses the future of the department.

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital’s A&E department closed in April.

Mr Hoyle said: “It is little wonder that people have no confidence that our A&E at Chorley will reopen and if we are not allowed to attend meetings where decisions are made.

“I have contacted the Secretary of State to outline my belief that the organisations in charge of our health services are not fit for purpose.”

An SRG spokesman said they were committed to transparency.

Cllr Bradley added: “What do our health professionals have to hide? Why do they want to hold key decision making meetings behind closed doors?”

A spokesman for SRG said: “The SRG has been meeting weekly since the temporary closure of the emergency department at Chorley Hospital in April to review the options for reopening the department in a safe and sustainable way.

“While these meetings are not held in public, we are committed to maintaining transparency around these discussions and the minutes from the meetings are available to the public via the Chorley and South Ribble Clinical Commissioning Group and Greater Preston Clinical Commissioning Group websites.”