The Trust has confirmed that services will move out of Accrington Victoria to ensure the historic and much-loved site is preserved for generations to come.
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) said the building in Haywood Road, Accrington, was in a critical condition but that main services would remain in the town for local people, with most moving only around a mile away.
Once the moves were completed, the Trust said it was committed to working with local people including Hyndburn Borough Council, MP Sarah Smith and the wider community in the town to both celebrate Accrington Victoria’s rich history and ensure investment was secured to protect its legacy for the future.
Chief Executive Martin Hodgson said: “I know how strongly people in Accrington feel about the hospital and I want to respect and recognise its incredible history, right at the heart of the town since 1894 and certainly before the NHS began.
“I am so sorry we have to move out, but the simple truth is that the building is beyond repair or reconfiguration as a health care facility and we have been unable to keep on top of the immense, routine maintenance required for quite some time.
“Large parts of it are closed, the roof has collapsed in a number of places, it’s full of asbestos and the heating system originally fired by three boilers is down to one, which if it fails simply cannot be repaired. It is dangerous to remain there as we head into winter and, sadly, the building no longer provides the kind of environment we need for patients or our teams.”
The Trust has guaranteed that the four main services currently provided at the hospital will remain local and be relocated just a short distance away at either Accrington PALS in the town centre or Acorns in Blackburn Road. These services are:
- Minor Injuries Unit (MIU)
- X-Ray,
- Outpatients
- GP services delivered by PWE Healthcare
Martin added: “We’ll move these services as quickly as we can to ensure there is minimal disruption to patients and their care and we will work with colleagues across the local authority and wider health and social care system to do this together and provide as much information as we can about where things are going to be.
If you are a patient with an upcoming appointment at Accrington Victoria please continue to attend in line with those arrangements, unless you hear otherwise about a change in the time or the place.
For full details of all services affected and where they are moving to, please select the relevant option below:
Once this part is complete, our intention is for local people to be a big part of deciding what comes next for Accrington Victoria and how the hospital site can be protected and regenerated for years to come, as a lasting legacy to the community that owns it.
“The Trust is committed to this and that includes ensuring any redevelopment is sensitive to the physical and historical elements of the site. Our aim is to retain the facades and character of the building and bring it back into purposeful use for local people. This is similar to the Dovestones facility we created in Burnley, which has been hugely successful and has changed the lives of people who live there and use it for the better.”
In moving out of Accrington Victoria, the Trust has also shared its intention to celebrate the history of the site and the contribution of everyone who has worked in it or been there as a patient or a visitor.
"We want to ensure all of the memories, the key moments in life that have happened there and all of the artefacts, images and historical plaques on the walls are preserved and cherished for the future. I would ask people with a connection to Accy Vic or who have a story or a photograph they’d like to share to get in touch – we would absolutely love to hear and see them – and maybe they will spark ideas about what happens next."
If you have a story, memory, or a photograph you’d like to share, please get in touch – we would absolutely love to hear and see them - accrington.victoria@elht.nhs.uk.
If you have any questions that are not answered in our FAQs above, please send them to accrington.victoria@elht.nhs.uk