A RELATIVE of mine was admitted to Burnley General Hospital last week in the middle of the night, and I was told it was a really awful experience.
A dark, almost empty hospital, cold and unwelcoming to say the least.
The member of staff who admitted this person was, I'm told almost in tears when the situation at the hospital was remarked upon.
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The nurse actually said: "I am ashamed to say I work here."
Phase Five, which cost a few million I'm told, lies half empty, and neglected.
Why was it built in the first place if this was to happen?
Surely the powers that be must have known the situation at BGH before the plans were passed for this folly to be built?
I could write a book about peoples' experiences in the last months since November 1 when A&E closed its doors to the sick, frightened, suffering people of Pendle.
When I read of deaths of patients in the Royal Blackburn, I think of all the visitors who have had to travel the 18 miles approx to and from this hospital.
The patient who had to travel all that way, maybe feeling very ill, very frightened, in great pain or whatever.
Not an easy journey when you are just going to Blackburn shopping or something, with heavy traffic etc, but on leaving the motorway at Junction 5, a hazardous trip along a road with mini roundabouts, again heavy traffic, an industrial estate all to be negotiated before arriving at the hospital. When you do arrive, it's utter chaos because this hospital is overworked whilst Burnley General is half empty with staff out on a limb.
I've talked to so many people here in Pendle who feel just as strongly as I do about this situation.
How could anyone cope with losing a loved one, simply because we haven't a local hospital capable of coping with an emergency.
It's bad enough when someone dies and we know everything humanly possible was done for that person. But what if we were told that the person would have survived if they could have reached hospital soon enough.
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