'Come and join us' - Longridge residents announce demonstration over hospital ward closure
Worried Longridge residents are putting pressure on authorities to reopen the inpatient ward of the town’s Community Hospital - and want your help.
The group are inviting like-minded people to join them for a ‘publicity photo’ outside the facility in St Wilfred’s Terrace at 2.30pm on March 11.
They say they are concerned people are now having to travel to Chorley to visit loved ones, a trip that can involve four buses and four hours, not including visiting time.
Why has the hospital closed?
Last year the inpatient ward at Longridge Community Hospital was temporarily reduced from 15 beds to five due to fire safety concerns, introduced in case there was a need “to safely evacuate frail and older patients from the first floor of the unit in an emergency”.
Although a programme of works was approved to upgrade the building, further inspections identified wider issues. As a result, NHS partners said a decision was “regrettably taken to temporarily close the remaining five inpatient beds at Longridge Hospital to ensure ongoing safety for our patients and colleagues”.
The hospital itself remains open with outpatient clinics continuing as normal.
Move
The inpatient beds have temporarily been moved to the Cuerden Ward at Chorley Hospital. An alternative option at Royal Preston Hospital was considered, however it was deemed that the Fell View Ward “may require the use of this facility for alternative services very soon due to the pressures that winter brings to acute hospital services”.
What the Trust say:
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Donna Robinson, said: “The decision to firstly move and then close the affected ward at Longridge was taken in the interests of fire safety, with the safety and wellbeing of our patients always taking priority.
“The move of Longridge Ward to Cuerden Ward at Chorley Hospital has allowed us to increase the number of patient beds back up to 15 from five, meaning we have also been able to welcome new patients, still offering the same excellent care by the same nursing and therapy colleagues who worked at Longridge. Each individual patient is given the time they need, with staffing numbers reflecting the bed number increase.
“Patients have been discharged back to their homes and families, and into community care, with support from appropriate services and partners. Some initial verbal feedback from patients and families has been positive and we are pleased that we have been able to support and care for those who need it, across the whole of Central Lancashire.
“While the affected inpatient ward remains temporarily closed at Longridge, the clinic facilities and the hospital in general does remain open for the other outpatient services it provides. This means that people are continuing to attend appointments within the building and staff are still delivering care.”
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