BREAKING NEWS: Hospital's A&E department will remain closed

The A&E at Chorley & South Ribble Hospital closed in April due to acute staff shortages.

At the time, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust insisted it was a temporary measure, and later said the department would reopen at the end of August.

Now the Trust has announced that the department will stay closed, with the next review of services scheduled for April 2017.

A Trust spokesman said: “Despite extensive and continuous efforts to recruit the additional staff required, there are still not enough doctors to reinstate a safe and sustainable Chorley A&E department.

“There are currently only two permanent middle grade doctors in post, and seven are needed.”

On Wednesday, the SRG reviewed and carefully considered a detailed risk assessment of the potential options for the ongoing delivery of the emergency and urgent care services at Chorley Hospital. The SRG has decided that it has no other realistic option but to maintain the current service of an 8am until 8pm urgent care service at Chorley Hospital as the best way of ensuring the delivery of safe and sustainable care for patients.

“This will be reviewed again in April 2017.”