Patients who use the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Accrington Victoria Community Hospital have been advised that it will close this weekend to allow it to move about a mile away to Acorn Health Centre in Blackburn Road.
The service, together with the X-Ray unit, will close at 8.30pm on Friday, December 20, and the team will move over the weekend into bespoke space at Acorn. It is expected to reopen at 12noon on Monday, December 23, offering exactly the same service and hours.
During the closure of the service over the weekend, patients seeking treatment should consider the following alternatives:
· The Minor Injuries Unit at Rossendale Health Centre on Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, Lancashire, BB4 7PL
· The Urgent Treatment Centre at Burnley General Teaching Hospital
· A&E at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
· Call NHS 111 or use www.111.nhs.uk
· For life-threatening injuries please dial 999
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust announced in October that all services at Accrington Victoria would relocate as the building was in serious decay and no longer fit for purpose as a healthcare facility.
A commitment was made that the critical services within the building would remain within Accrington and since then a phased and purposeful approach has been taken to relocate departments including the PWE GP team and outpatients department. The key services which have already moved are:
- Orthoptics – Accrington Pals Health Care Centre
- Audiology –Barbara Castle Way, Bacup, and St Peters Health Centres
- Midwife Clinic –Acorn Health Care Centre
- Bladder and Bowel Services –Accrington Pals Health Care Centre
- PWE GP Practice –Acorn Health Care Centre
- General Outpatients –Acorn Health Care Centre
- Heart Failure Team – Accrington Pals Health Care Centre
- Community Rehabilitation Team Day Unit –Acorn Health Care Centre
- X-Ray Services –Acorn Health Care Centre
For a full list of where services are please see our website www.elht.nhs.uk/accringtonvictoria Patients with appointments for these services will be notified of any changes directly with at least two weeks notice where possible.
The relocation of MIU and X-Ray into Acorn represents the final moves and the temporary closure of Accrington Victoria. The Trust, with other partners in the community, will begin an engagement programme in the New Year to understand how the building can be regenerated and protected for generations to come.