Lancashire and South Cumbria set to benefit from investment in NHS services

₤21 million of capital investment from Government for Lancashire and South Cumbria will see the development of an Integrated Acute Mental Health Hub for Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust is pleased to announce that it will benefit from ₤8.1 million investment to develop an Integrated Acute Mental Health Hub for people living on the Fylde Coast. The currently approved proposal has secured funding which will be used to refurbish the former Parkwood site at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. This is 1 of the options being considered to allow the expansion of the Mental Health Decision Unit (MHDU) that the Trust currently provides from A&E in Blackpool Victoria Hospital. At present the Trust has 4 spaces available for people in mental health crisis where they can stay for up to 23 hours to be assessed, supported and then signposted to the clinical team or support service required according to their need. The Parkwood site is an option being explored alongside others with Blackpool Acute Trust colleagues and the next stage having secured the funding is to develop a full business case outlining the details and associated planning timescales.

Joanne Moore, Chief Operating Officer at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said:- "We really welcome the investment to enable us to be able to work together with our partners to improve mental health services for people who present in crisis. The funding will allow us to expand our Mental Health Decision Unit (MHDU) which has been designed to provide a short term, safe, therapeutic environment for stabilisation, assessment and support prior to moving the person on to the most appropriate service for their needs."

Dr Amanda Doyle, GP and Chief Officer for Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria, said:- "For Lancashire and South Cumbria to be awarded this funding demonstrates the strength of the partnerships developing across our region between NHS, Local Authorities, the public sector and our communities. This investment will support us to make faster progress on improving mental health and A&E facilities which will help to improve lives for people across our region."

Ambulance appeal:- "Call:- '999' to cancel"

OVER 1 million pounds of public money is wasted every month when Crews from North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust are called out, but find nobody to treat.  Every month there are 1,181 Ambulance responses to locations where no patients are found which costs the NHS ₤171 thousand a month. A further 6,207 responses are made to people who refuse care and treatment from paramedics when they arrive on scene at a cost of ₤900 thousand a month.

With each of these call outs costing approximately ₤145 the total price of wasted Ambulance journeys costs the North West Region's Ambulance Service, and the public purse, ₤12,855,120 a year which could have funded:-

► 92 brand new, fully kitted emergency Ambulances.

► The salaries and staffing costs for 286 paramedics or 390 emergency medical technicians.

► 1071 high spec monitoring devices for heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and to defibrillate patients in cardiac arrest.

► 2,571,024 blankets to keep patients warm.

► 1071 Ambulance stretchers.

NWAS has published the figures as part of its:- 'make the right call' campaign which urges the public to choose the right NHS service to get the most appropriate care and ensure Ambulances are only going to people who really need them.

Director of Operations at NWAS, Ged Blezard said:- "The cost of wasted journeys is significant, but so is the amount of time that we spend looking for people who we think need our help when we could actually be helping someone else. There are many reasons why people may not be there when our Crews arrive; sometimes they decide to go to Hospital with a family member, or get treatment elsewhere, but don't let us know. This could be down to unrealistic expectations of how quickly Ambulances respond, or because we are simply that busy that they, unfortunately, have to wait longer for a response than we would like. It is really important that if people no longer need us they call:- 999 to cancel, so that we can get to the next patient quickly and don't waste time trying to find people who don't need or want our help."

NWAS Crews respond to 3,000 incidents every day across 5 counties - Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside; and the maximum number of Ambulances on the road serving the population of over 7 million people is 329. Essentially this means that there is 1 Ambulance, per 21 thousand people.

Ged continued:- "Winter is always the busiest time of year for the Ambulance Service. 999 calls increase as the weather gets colder and party season is underway. It's even more important at this time of year that you help us to help you. We want people to do the right thing 1st which will get them the best care; this means calling:- 999 when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. For urgent medical advice when it's not an emergency they can get advice at 111.NHS.UK. And remember; please call:- 999 to cancel an Ambulance if it's no longer needed."