Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, today held out the possibility of a re-think on the controversial downgrading of Burnley General’s A&E two years ago. 

A top level meeting between Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, and Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, is to look at the controversy that won’t go away – the transfer of blue light A&E from Burnley to Blackburn in November 2007. 

And the Prime Minister promised to look at the matter again if the meeting with Burnham gets nowhere.

Prentice told the Prime Minister; “Two years ago, we lost blue light accident and emergency services in Burnley and everything went to Blackburn, 25 miles away from where I live, at the furthest edge of the patch. People in Burnley and Pendle, members of all political parties and none, want accident and emergency back in Burnley. As a first step, will my friend commission an independent review by clinicians from outside the area with no axe to grind, which is what people want?” 

The Prime Minister replied: “Of course I understand my hon. Friend’s concerns and those of his constituents, and I will ask the Health Secretary to meet him to talk about these issues—but as he knows, the reconfiguration of national health services is a matter for the NHS locally. I understand that the review concluded in July and that it has been accepted by both primary care trusts and by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. I understand that a programme implementation board is in place, and that the board is confident that this will not undermine services locally. However, he will want to have that meeting with the Health Secretary and he can come back to me afterwards.”

Speaking after the exchange, Prentice said: “Everyone knows that a single Accident and Emergency Department for half a million people was always going to be a challenge. Well, we have had two years to see how things are going and I believe it is time for an independent review which will, I hope, pave the way for the reinstatement of blue light A&E at Burnley.”

“Clearly, there would have to be some kind of A&E protocol explaining to patients and public what could and could not be treated at Burnley. Serious head injuries would continue to go to Preston. Burns to Manchester and so on.”

The MP added: “Official Department of Health statistics show that Burnley is not too small to have its own A&E. This was a myth propagated by some influential people in the NHS establishment.”