NHS East Lancashire's £1.7m overspend after A & E unit closes

THE closure of Rochdale’s A&E unit has put more pressure on East Lancashire’s hospitals – and contributed to a £1.7million budget overspend.

Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust shut down the accident and emergency unit in April last year, despite protests from Bacup and Whitworth councillors and residents.

Ray Carrick, GMB Regional organiser for NHS, said that the increase put pressure on nurses and doctors at the hospital and paramedics were having to travel further. In addition more vehicles are going to Royal Blackburn Hospital than previously so unless they are putting extra ambulances on and staff on at the casualty department that is going to create problems."

Before the closure patients from Rossendale Valley were routinely taken to the Greater Manchester hospital after suffering serious injuries, as it was usually closer than the next nearest available A&E department at Blackburn.

But it has emerged that around 260 extra patients a month are now attending Royal Blackburn Hospital.

This has ramped up the cost of NHS East Lancashire’s contract with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, as the primary care trust pay the acute trust for the treatment. The primary care trust, which has a total budget of £346.5million, reported that its hospital contract was overspent by £1.72million – predicted to rise to £2.61million by March.