The A&E Department at Burnley General Hospital closed in November 2007 and, since then, a long war of attrition has been waged to get it re-instated.

For over three years Burnley has been living with the Urgent Care Centre that took the place of A&E.

Burnley’s Lib Dem MP, Gordon Birtwistle, dismissively refers to it as a “first aid post”.

Not true. But it’s not an A&E either.

At various times Andrew Lansley, Nick Clegg, Andrew Stephenson and Gordon Birtwistle have all pledged, promised or dropped heavy hints that A&E would be coming back.

A year later and we are still waiting.

No wonder people are cynical about politicians and their phoney “promises”.

In September last year, the Health Minister, Simon Burns, said a review of the terms “A&E” and “Urgent Care Centre” would be piloted in East Lancashire. There were concerns that the public and, indeed, NHS staff were unclear what these designations actually meant.

In June 2010 the National Director of Emergency and Urgent Care, Professor Matthew Cooke, told Ministers this clarification was “urgent”.

Burns assured Pendle’s Andrew Stephenson he would likely get something by December 2010.

Nothing.

We know the pilot study was completed in January 2011 – if not before - but Burns says no date has been set for the publication of its findings.

What exactly is the point of any further delay?

If Burns thinks that, by playing it long, people in East Lancashire will forget the promises solemnly made a year ago to re-instate A&E, he’s wrong.

In their own words

"We believe that there is an urgent need for clarification of the role of Burnley UCC to the public and to NHS staff. It is our opinion that more cases could be dealt with at the Burnley UCC particularly if primary care, elderly care and paediatric services and their links with the UCC were improved. Work with the ambulance service could also increase the number of cases going to Burnley UCC by ambulance."

"The name of urgent care centre does not reflect the work currently being undertaken compared to other centres called A&E and urgent care centres and there is a need for consistency and clarity in both nomenclature and service provision."

Professor Matthew Cooke, National Director of Emergency and Urgent Care, and Dr Irving Cobden (1 June 2010)

"When somebody walks through the doors of an A and E department, a walk-in centre or an emergency care centre, what exactly should they expect? What ailments or injuries are most appropriate for each setting? It is not only an issue of general confusion; it is also a matter of safety. If someone presents at a place describing itself as an accident and emergency department, but it does not have the same facilities as most A&Es, that patient could face delay and unnecessary risk."

"As part of the quality, innovation, productivity and prevention programme, work on standardising urgent and emergency care is under way. Its aim is to clarify what services can be expected in various facilities. By using criteria based on clinical evidence, it should be possible to standardise those terms across the country. That is currently being done in three pilot areas: East Lancashire, Manchester and Salisbury. The conclusions should be published by the end of the year, alongside the operating framework. However, it will not state which types of service should be provided in particular areas. That decision will be made locally."

Simon Burns MP, Health Minister (14 September 2010)

"The College of Emergency Medicine says that it does not recognise what an urgent care centre is. From its point of view, hospitals should either have an emergency department or an A and E or they should not. If they do not, it is very important to be clear that they do not. I feel that we need to be much clearer about the nature of the service provided in A and E departments and the distinction between that and the service provided in minor injury or minor illness centres."

Andrew Lansley MP, Secretary of State for Health (17 November 2010)

Work is being carried out by NHS North West working with colleagues in NHS South West to look at the possibility of creating a common offer for England to ease navigation of the urgent and emergency care system for patients. No date has been set for publication of the findings.

Simon Burns MP, Health Minister (25 April 2011)

Paper Candidates

General Elections in Canada, as in the UK, increasingly turn on the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the Party leaders.

I dislike this Presidentialism but I guess it’s here to stay.

Jack Layton, the leader of the left of centre NDP is on a roll.

The NDP is widely seen as a party of also-rans, always limping in third after the Conservatives and Liberals.

But the pollsters are now suggesting that something big could be about to happen.

The NDP could be poised to make a breakthrough.

If so, I hope someone tells NDP candidates.

One is reportedly on holiday in Las Vegas. Others have gone AWOL.

All parties field paper candidates in constituencies where they believe they have no chance of winning.

It’s just something you don’t tell the voters.

Attachments:

A&E Burns to Stephenson.pdf	[A&E Burns to Stephenson]	487 Kb
Operating Framework for the NHS in England.pdf	[NHS Operating Framework for 2011-12]	743 Kb