NHS bosses have confirmed that a community recovery unit will be retained and restored once improvements to Longridge Community Hospital have been completed.
The 15-bed service at the hospital in St Wilfrid’s Terrace was reduced to five beds earlier this year due to issues with fire safety.
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), the organisation that plans health services across the region, has agreed to reinstate the service to full capacity once the landlord, NHS Property Services, completes works to address the fire safety issues. This is expected to take up to 20 weeks.
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Craig Harris, chief operating officer for NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, said: “We are pleased to be able to support reinstating this valuable community asset to its full capacity.
“This is a valuable service that helps people to get better in a location that is closer to home and not in a hospital.
“Getting this service back up to full capacity will also support Royal Preston Hospital by moving patients out of the main hospital site and into the community.”
The update comes after Ribble Valley Labour MP Maya Ellis revealed she had met with NHS leaders who had reassured her about the unit’s future.
Data shows that when at full capacity, the service – provided by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust – is at almost 90 per cent of its capacity with patients staying for around two weeks.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s chief operating officer Donna Robinson said: “We are pleased to be able to fully reinstate our service at Longridge Hospital once fire safety work has been completed in the coming months after working in partnership with our colleagues at the ICB.
“We are proud of the quality of the care delivered for our patients at this important facility, which is often commended by families and the wider community. We know the hospital is as important to them as it is our colleagues who provide support there.”
Should the planned remedial works to the building be completed on schedule, it is planned for the service to reopen at full capacity in January 2026.
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