12:00pm Thursday 13th April 2006
By Steve Dunthorne
More than 60 beds across the Fylde's hospitals are set to stay closed as an NHS trust grapples with a potential £22 million deficit.
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust will reopen Rossall Hospital but close wards at South Shore and Clifton to save £2m, while three other wards will remain closed until autumn at least in the latest proposed reorganisation.
And trust chiefs have also revealed that this year's deficit could be even bigger than had previously been reported because the trust had, in the past, relied on one-off income including land sales to help balance the books.
In a report to members of Blackpool Council's health overview committee, the trust's director of facilities, Mike Gallagher, writes: "It is evident that the closure of Rossall Hospital and other facilities has had little or no impact on patient care and it appears evident that 60 plus beds can be removed from the local complement available to the trust without adverse effect."
However, even if Rossall were to be closed the trust would still have to pay the monthly service charge under the Private Finance Inititiative.
The Ashley Ward and the minor injuries unit at Lytham Hospital and Kemp Ward at Fleetwood Hospital, which were closed last year along with Rossall, will remain shut until autumn at least, due in part to the opening of the new £5.8m day surgery at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Julian Hartley, chief executive of the trust, said: "This gives out a strong message about our commitment to local people and to ensuring that the trust delivers high quality services out of modern and patient-centred facilities."
Dr Sabry Talab, clinical director for the care of older people, said "Rossall Hospital is an important facility for the rehabilitation of patients across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. It is a purpose-built unit dedicated to the rehabilitation of patients providing high quality care in a modern environment.
"The reopening will also restore the balance of distribution of rehabilitation facilities across the Fylde Coast. "
Cllr Steven Bate, a member of the health overciew committee, said: "We are very pleased that our all party campaign for the reopening of Rossall Hospital has succeeded but we are still very concerned about other cuts at Fleetwood and Lytham."
l The wards affected are wards three and four at Clifton Hospital (inpatient rehabilitation) to be relocated to Rossall Hospital; Ward four and five, South Shore Hospital (ortho geriatric) to be relocated to Ward three and Ward four Clifton Hospital; Ward one, South Shore Hospital (nurse led ward) to be relocated to Bispham Hospital Rehabilitation Unit; South Shore Day Hospital to be relocated to Rossall Hospital Rehabilitation Unit.
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