Pictured: Mayor of Burnley Councillor Howard Baker, ELHT Chairman Professor Eileen Fairhurst, Mrs Rokiya Layer, Senior Sister Vikki McLoughlin,
Consultant Vascular Surgeon Mr Rob Salaman and Matron Julie Bell celebrate the opening of the new Lancashire Elective Centre
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) officially opened the Lancashire Elective Centre at Burnley General Teaching Hospital on Wednesday 6 December.
The new £1.5 million, 46-bedded unit is the latest development to be completed as part of ELHT’s £18m investment into NHS services at Burnley General Teaching Hospital (BGTH).
Kevin McGee, Chief Executive at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust:
“The innovative Lancashire Elective Centre represents a substantial investment in facilities at Burnley General Teaching Hospital.
“It means the Trust now has extra capacity to perform more planned surgery, there will be fewer cancellations and we can meet the increased demand for short stay surgery and minor procedures in East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.”
“I want to especially thank all the staff who have worked tirelessly while all the reconstruction and refurbishments were carried out. They have ensured patients have continued to receive safe, personal and effective care and treatment.”
State-of-the-art NHS facilities at the Lancashire Elective Centre include:
- A 46-bedded Elective Admissions Unit with capacity for 14 overnight stay patients.
- Two dedicated elective operating theatres including a state of the art laparoscopic theatre
- Purpose-built room equipped to perform minor procedures, such as orthopaedic joint injections, carpal tunnel procedures, varicose vein treatment and pain management.
- Infusion suite caring for patients requiring all types of IV treatment (including blood transfusions and rheumatology infusions).
- Easy access DVT clinic supporting patient flow from A&E and Urgent Care as well as direct referral from GPs
“Demand for the type of procedures and treatments being carried out at the Lancashire Elective Centre is expected to continue to increase significantly in the coming years,” says ELHT Director of Operations, John Bannister.
“We’re delighted that the new facility is already extremely well-used, including the state-of-the-art procedure room which is purpose-built for minor treatments.”
“By developing this unit we have been able to provide additional capacity for East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen patients who may need an overnight stay or just a little extra time to recover from a procedure.”
Response from Lancashire Elective Centre patients has been overwhelmingly positive since its opening with clear benefits in the reduction of post procedure length of stay.
“Lancashire Elective Centre staff provide excellent care and are really proud of what they have created,” says Senior Sister Vikki McLoughlin.
“We are the first unit of this kind in the UK, offering a variety of treatments and procedures to both surgical and medical patients working hard to prevent unnecessary admissions on the acute Blackburn site.”
“While the new Lancashire Elective Centre is designed to meet the needs of patients and visitors, the response from our staff has also been highly positive.”
An added benefit from opening the Lancashire Elective Centre is the opportunity to reduce the number of cancelled elective operations due to demand pressures at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.
“Our hospitals work in harmony to provide high quality, safe and effective treatment and care,” added John Bannister.
“In addition to offering patients having either a surgical or medical procedure who may require overnight stay the opportunity to be treated at Burnley, the extra beds and facilities at the Lancashire Elective Centre also add extra capacity to protect elective surgery during periods of increased emergency care pressure.”