MP's impassioned film plea to health care professionals to work at Chorley Hospital

A campaigning MP has gone in front of the camera to put out an impassioned hospital recruitment call.
Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle makes his plea in front of the camera at Chorley and South Ribble HospitalChorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle makes his plea in front of the camera at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital
Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle makes his plea in front of the camera at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, has been at the forefront of a campaign to save A&E services at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital since 2016.

It was then that health bosses released the hospital’s A&E would close to be replaced temporarily by an urgent care centre due to doctor shortages.

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Since then a determined campaign has sought to reinstate the A&E department full-time.

The current situation is that the unit, now operating part-time, has been temporarily closed by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust due to the coronavirus crisis.

However, in a personal message to health care professionals on his Twitter, filmed at the hospital, Mr Hoyle described it as ‘one of the best in the country’.

And he pleaded: “But what I want to tell you is a little story.

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"My story is that we want to reopen Chorley A&E in September - yes, at the end of September Chorley A&E reopened. But we need you, we need you to help us.

“We have vacancies to fill for doctors, consultants and nurses. Please come and work at the best hospital. Please get our A&E open, We need you, we need your help. We need your help now.”

Karen Partington, Trust chief executive, said: “It’s fantastic to see our local MPs get involved in our recruitment drive in this way, and we are very grateful for their support.

"We’ve made some fantastic progress in most areas, however the recruitment of middle grade doctors continues to present a significant challenge due to a national shortage of people with sufficient specialist experience.”

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