CAMPAIGNERS have said lives will be put at risk if more patients end up at Blackburn’s already over-stretched accident and emergency department.

Hundreds of extra patients are expected to descend on the hospital following a decision to temporarily close Chorley Hospital’s emergency department due to a lack of doctors.

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But East Lancashire’s Hospitals Trust has said Royal Blackburn’s A&E department is already struggling with the ‘unprecedented demand’ in the last few months.

It has urged all but the most urgent cases not to attend and instead seek medical help elsewhere.

Latest figures for February show it was seeing 89.95 per cent of patients within four hours, when the government target is 95 per cent.

Nationally the proportion of patients being seen on time in A&E has hit its lowest levels since records began.

Former Burnley MP and health campaigner, Cllr Gordon Birtwistle, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. Blackburn A&E is constantly on red alert. People will die. Have they spoken to East Lancashire Hospitals Trust to ask them if they’ve got the extra capability?

“This is one of the most idiotic things I’ve ever heard. Blackburn hospital was built for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley people. It wasn’t built for the whole of East Lancashire.

“I am dumbfounded and the people that make these decisions live on another planet. They shouldn’t be shutting A&E’s anywhere.”

The North West Ambulance Service said it plans to have more ambulances available to ‘mitigate the impact’ of the decision, which will see paramedics taking patients to hospitals in Blackburn, Preston, Wigan and Bolton.

Russ McLean, chairman of the Pennine Lancashire Patients Voices Group, said he has already been contacted by staff from the Haslingden Road hospital worried about how they are going to cope.

He said: “Where are these patients going to go? Ten miles down the road to Blackburn. It will put further strain on an A&E that is already under enormous pressure.

“People could possibly be travelling between 20 and 50 miles for A&E.

“Preston is also under strain and Blackburn is already diverting patients away. The knock on effect is going to be incredible.”

Gillian Simpson, director of operations at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said the decision made by Chorley Hospital bosses showed the extent of staffing problems in the NHS.

She said: “Patient safety is always our priority.

“The demand on our own A&E department has been unprecedented in the past few months and we would urge people not to attend except in a genuine emergency.

“The impact of the decision to close Chorley is unknown as yet but we are prepared for any increase in ambulance attendance to our own A&E department, however, we do expect this to be small.”

Dr Latifa Patel, a junior doctor, who works at Royal Blackburn Hospital, said: “The simple truth is, we just don’t have enough doctors to staff the current system.

“Recent drastic changes in the pay of locum hours coupled with further dangerous changes to junior doctors’ contracts has led to even lower morale amongst an already stretched frontline workforce.”

Blackburn MP, Kate Hollern, said: “I am extremely concerned about A&E. Half an hour or 20 minutes could make a huge difference to patient safety.”

Chorley and South Ribble Clinical Commissioning Group, said the situation would be reviewed on a week by week basis with a view to reinstating A&E there as soon as possible.

Professor Mark Pugh, medical director of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said it was an ‘unacceptable risk to patient safety’ to attempt to continue to provide an emergency department service at Chorley.

He said: “Changing the current service provided at Chorley is a direct response to the immediate and significant staffing problem.“We simply cannot staff the rotas. These measures are temporary, and we will continue to do everything possible to secure all the staff we need and reinstate the emergency department service at Chorley.”