Multi-million pound funding boost for Blackburn A and E

A and Es in 25 hospitals across England will receive an additional £150m. to expand and upgrade, ensuring they have the physical space to treat patients, manage patient flow and improve infection control, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced today.

This is in addition to the £300m. announced recently for 117 Trusts to upgrade their facilities, meaning the Government has now invested £450m. to upgrade A and Es this winter.

Andrew Stephenson, MP for Pendle, said: “Last September I was delighted to attend the ground breaking ceremony for a £10m. expansion of Royal Blackburn Hospitals A and E, so this further £6m. is great news for our local area.

"I will continue to work with East Lancashire Hospital Trust to ensure we get our fair share of the unprecedented level of NHS funding the government has announced.”

The funding will expand waiting areas and increase the number of treatment cubicles, helping boost A and E capacity by providing additional space and reducing overcrowding. Projects will be completed by the start of next year so hospitals benefit from the upgrades during the peak of winter.

Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham said: “Staff at Royal Blackburn Hospital have worked tirelessly over recent months, and I would like to thank them for everything they have done to get our local community through the coronavirus pandemic.

"I know the people of Burnley and Padiham have had concerns about the A&E not being in Burnley but we need to make sure that proper funding is in place to upgrade A&E across the Trust, putting us in the best possible position for the challenges that the winter months may bring.

"The NHS is one of my top priorities and I was elected last December on a promise to deliver record investment and level up the health service. I’m pleased to see the Conservatives in Government getting on with doing exactly that.”

Alongside this, a new offer to patients is being piloted in Trusts across England, with NHS 111 being the first point of contact for accessing urgent medical care.

To ensure patients get the right care in the right place and avoid unnecessary visits to Emergency Departments, NHS 111 will build on its role during the pandemic to direct patients to the most clinically appropriate service, including Emergency Departments, an Urgent Treatment Centre, a GP or mental health professional.

Based on what works best during the pilots, this approach will be rolled out to all Trusts from December this year.

NHS 111 will also book appointments for patients with the appropriate service to cut out unnecessary queueing and ensure they get the right care first time. This will be safer and more convenient for patients as it will reduce the amount of time spent in waiting rooms.

Those facing a life-threatening emergency should continue to dial 999 immediately. If someone is unsure how serious a condition is then NHS 111 can offer advice and if necessary, dispatch an ambulance.

To support this expansion the NHS is investing £24m. to increase 111 call handling capacity and will have more clinicians on hand to provide expert advice and guidance.

Each year there are 14.4 million A and E attendances in England that arrive without referral by 111, a GP or in an ambulance, as well as 2.1 million attendances that don’t result in any admission or treatment. Reducing this unnecessary use of Emergency Departments will ease the pressure on the NHS this winter and reduce transmission of Covid-19.

If a patient without a life-threatening condition in the pilot areas arrives at an A and E department without contacting NHS 111, they will continue to be given the assistance they need, but may end up waiting longer than patients with similar health issues who booked an appointment through NHS 111.

A public communications campaign ‘Help Us Help You’ will also launch later this year to direct people to the right NHS service.