Children's A&E unit at Ormskirk Hospital could close as part of emergency care overhaul
A children’s A&E unit in Lancashire could close and move almost eight miles away under plans being considered by the NHS.
That is one of the options on the table as part of a revamp of emergency care services in West Lancashire and Sefton.
It would see the children’s facility currently based at Ormskirk and District General Hospital relocated to Southport and Formby District General Hospital, which has not had an emergency department for youngsters for two decades.
As part of the shift, the new children’s service would operate around the clock - whereas the present unit for young people at Ormskirk closes overnight, between midnight and 8am every day. Outside of those hours, ambulance patients are taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
The public are now being asked for their thoughts on the overhaul - an alternative version of which would involve the adult A&E at Southport moving to Ormskirk and both of them operating there around the clock instead.
NHS bosses have indicated that co-locating both facilities in Southport is their preferred option. They say a single A&E in Southport could be delivered two years quicker, with less disruption to current services - and would be around £45m cheaper.
However, a formal public consultation has now been launched, following engagement exercises held last year as part of the NHS Shaping Care Together Programme.
Rob Cooper, chief executive of Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - which operates both the Southport and Ormskirk sites - said: “We know that changes need to be made, and this is a great opportunity to make sure that services best suit our local communities.
“The NHS is facing mounting pressures which include rising demand, an ageing population, difficulties recruiting the right staff, maintaining buildings that are fit for purpose as well as mounting financial pressures. Due to a number of these reasons, the children’s A&E at Ormskirk Hospital has been closed overnight for the past five years.
“Bringing both A&Es back together on a single site will help ease these pressures and allow us to provide round the clock emergency care to both adults and children.”
The children’s A&E at Ormskirk began operating on a part-time basis in April 2020 as a result of the pressures of the pandemic. At the time, it closed at 10pm each night and hospital bosses insisted it was a temporary measure.
However, in spite of the hours later being extended to midnight, a 24-hour service has never resumed.
HAVE YOUR SAY
The consultation runs until 3rd October and details of how to take part can be found at www.yoursayshapingcaretogether.co.uk