Chorley hospital ward closure explained

The boss of the trust that runs Chorley and South Ribble Hospital has said the closure of one of its wards is among the “real-world impacts” of the financial difficulties facing the organisation.

Staff on Cuerden ward were told in January that the 24-bed facility – which is less than three years old – would shut at the end of March.  The building opened in July 2022 to provide additional space for diabetes, endocrinology and other general medical patients.

Confirming the closure last month, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH) said it was part of the process of ‘flexing’ how many beds are open according to demand, which is greatest during the winter.

However, Silas Nicholls, LTH chief executive, acknowledged at a board meeting on Thursday that the “difficult decision” also had its roots in the budgetary pressure the trust is under.

Just days earlier, LTH had been placed by NHS England into the equivalent of financial special measures – officially known as NHS Oversight Framework Segment 4 – along with its counterparts in Blackpool, East Lancashire and the overarching Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board. All of those organisations will now be subject to “intensive support” to recover their financial positions.

Referring to the Cuerden ward closure, Mr. Nicholls said it was also the result of the fact the facility had initially been funded by additional money pumped into the NHS to deal with Covid pressures earlier in the pandemic.  One of its initial uses was to assist with patient flow through the hospital system and provide beds for those close to being discharged.

Meanwhile, he told board members “good progress” was being made in attempts to avoid redundancies in the wake of the Cuerden shutdown.

“We are working to make sure that no staff lose their jobs over this – we want to redeploy staff into existing vacancies and make sure they get appropriate opportunities and appropriate job roles elsewhere,” Mr. Nicholls explained.

He also revealed that the aim was to repurpose the modular-designed building for another use, rather than leave it vacant.

“The Cuerden ward itself is actually really good estate so…what we’ll be looking at is what else we can move into that space from elsewhere to free up services [located] within…accommodation that’s not as good,” he said.

The board was told there were also fewer patients being referred to Cuerden beds from the Preston area, because of the opening of the acute medical unit at the Royal.

Members also heard that there had been media “misreporting” which suggested the broader diabetes service would leave the Chorley site altogether when Cuerden closes – when in fact it will remain there.