HERALDED by supporters as a bright new beginning for healthcare in Burnley, the £9 million Urgent Care Centre was also derided by some as a step down from the A&E service it replaced.

Chris Adams talks to some of the key players about the changes at Burnley General Hospital as the centre celebrates its first full year in operation.

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SINCE Burnley General’s A&E unit closed in November 2007, the issue has consistently remained near the top of the agenda for the borough’s politicians.

Its replacement, the Urgent Care Centre which opened last January, saw 49,352 patients go through the door in its first year.

The unit treats non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries — cuts, bites, sprains and fractures — but emergencies are dealt with at Royal Blackburn Hospital, 15 miles away.

Matron Julie Kay, who divides her time between Burnley and Accrington Victoria Minor Injuries Unit, said she was pleased with how she had assembled a multi-disciplinary team to handle all but the most severe cases.

She said: “This is a fantastic facility for staff who work here and patients in the local area and we have the skills and capacity to treat a wide range of patients.

“The new building is light and airy, making it easier for staff to provide safe, personal and effective care to our patients who are complimentary about the surroundings and the treatment they receive.

“We also benefit from a GP on site from 2pm to 11pm so when we triage patients it makes it easier to decide which is the right place for treatment.”

Burnley’s Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle, who worked to secure the £9 million funding the UCC needed, said he was delighted with its performance so far, but that he would continue to strive for full A&E services to be reinstated.

Mr Birtwistle said: “We fought against that decision at the time and we have been fighting ever since to bring the services back. The new UCC was a very welcome step in the right direction but it is time that they take that last step to reinstate our A&E status.

“People are learning what can be treated at the UCC and I think that shows in its impressive four-hour targets, which are much better than Blackburn’s.”

The UCC had its busiest month in May with 5,021 patients but saw an impressive 98.91 per cent within four hours, despite an average of 135 people coming through the doors every day. Patient feedback has soared, the UCC scoring an overall satisfaction rate of 96.4 per cent in December.

Labour’s Mohammed Iqbal, who sits on the health-scrutiny committee at Lancashire County Council, said he had accessed the Urgent Care Centre on two occasions with friends and family and found the service to be first class.

Cllr Iqbal said: “The Urgent Care Centre is doing a very good job but it is not a replacement for the old A&E department. We are all aware of the chaos at Royal Blackburn Hospital and I think people would still prefer to have an A&E in Burnley.

“It is down to the government and Gordon Birtwistle to deliver that. There is still a demand to reopen the A&E. That said, I have had to go to the UCC with other people, and the staff and the service has been first rate.”

The centre has an average of ten staff working from 8am to 11pm. It shares 20 advanced nurse practitioners with Accrington Victoria Hospital.