Longridge Community Hospital reduced from 15 beds to five amid fire safety fears

Longridge Community Hospital sits just off Derby Road. Pic: NHS

Longridge Community Hospital has seen its number of available beds drastically reduced after fire safety concerns were identified by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

The move has sparked concerns among some Longridge residents that this could be a precursor to closure, with debate raging online about the future of the facility.

However, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust said the building was still open for routine referrals, but added that the safety of patients was its priority.

In a statement, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust said: “Safety is a key priority for the Trust and as part of a programme of estates safety measures, looking at our current buildings, fire and evacuation safety procedures alongside the patient acuity of our wards, we identified that the two-story unit at Longridge Hospital, housing older patients with potential mobility problems, was safer as a ground floor only ward.

“In the interests of patient safety, the 15-bed ward has been temporarily reduced to five ground floor beds to aid any potential evacuation procedures, making them safer and easier to enact in the event of an emergency.

“The hospital remains open and GPs can continue to refer to any empty beds that become available through the normal practices. There are no changes to any of the other community services delivered from Longridge Hospital.”

The Trust said all patients, families and carers had been made aware of the situation and the changes for those remaining on site.

It added: “All colleagues remain at the hospital with no plans to make any changes. The hospital still remains safe for patients to receive care, colleagues to work from and for relatives to visit.

“We are now working through the implications of these changes including costs of the required fire safety works, timescales and staffing requirements needed to ensure timely and safe evacuation of the upper level in the event of an emergency requiring this in the future.

“Additionally, the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board is setting up a working group to fully understand all of the considerations. All of this will take time and we will keep you updated of any developments over the next few months.”

Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis told Blog Preston she was pushing the NHS for a clearer timeline on the repairs – and gave her backing to Longridge always retaining a community hospital facility.

She said: “I have spoken to Lancashire Foundation Trust, who run Longridge Hospital, a number of times on the issue of the current bed reduction at Longridge Hospital.

“There has never been discussion of closure with me, only of doing necessary safety improvements.

“I know how special Longridge Hospital is to many people here. It’s somewhere that has cared for people in the darkest times, and has offered that care exceptionally well.

“I completely understand that people are nervous about closures in health care given that we’ve become used to the NHS regularly struggling or making cuts. And while we’re still in a very difficult financial position as a country, I would not support any loss of critical neighbourhood services like Longridge Hopsital.

“I will continue to be in close contact with Chris Oliver, the Chief Executive of Lancashire Foundation Trust for updates, and have already urged him to provide a clearer timeline for the repairs, and to ensure this is well communicated to staff.”

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