East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

27/08/2025

Our Emergency Department at Blackburn is very busy so please visit our website to check the current waiting time and make sure you use the most appropriate place for your medical needs:
👩🏽‍⚕️ Urgent Treatment Centre (at Burnley General Hospital)
🩹 Accrington Minor Injuries Unit (at the Acorn Centre, Accrington)
🩹 Rossendale Minor Injuries Unit (at the Primary Health Care Centre)
🩺 Contact your GP
💊 Visit your local pharmacy
📱 Call NHS 111 or visit the website (link in the comments)

26/08/2025

Catherine Makin, who works in our General Outpatients Department, underwent a double lung transplant in 2020 and has since taken part in the annual British Transplant Games, which promote organ donation and celebrate the achievements of transplant recipients. This year, she won a silver medal now takes her total to ten gold, silver and bronze medals at the Games over the last four years. Her journey from transplant patient to medal-winning athlete is a powerful testament to the life-changing impact organ donation can have🥈💚

Congratulations Catherine👏👏

24/08/2025

We would like say a huge THANK YOU to all of our colleagues who are working and supporting patients with their health needs this weekend👏💜

Please note, services available may vary over the bank holiday weekend:
- Some GP surgeries are open this Bank Holiday – check your practice website or call.
- Many pharmacies are open for minor illnesses: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy
- NHS 111 online is 24/7 to help you find the right care fast.
- Walk-in centres for sprains, burns & minor injuries: https://elht.nhs.uk/choose-well
- Need urgent mental health support? Call NHS 111 & press 2.

23/08/2025

Our new and improved ELHT mobile breast screening unit will be based at Longridge Community Hospital from August- the beginning of October 2025, offering free NHS breast screening for women aged 50 up to their 71st birthday. If you're registered with Stonebridge Surgery or Berry Lane Medical Centre keep an eye out for your appointment letter.
For more info, call 📞 01282 805301 or email 📧 breastscreening.elht@nhs.net.

21/08/2025

Last week our Neonatal Nurses on our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) celebrated International Neonatal Nurses Day. This day honours the dedication, compassion and expertise of the Neonatal Nurses who provide life saving support to new-borns in critical conditions. Their work requires exceptional skill, patience and emotional strength whilst both assisting with life saving procedures and offering support and education to their families. A huge thank you to all of our Neonatal Nurses for everything that you do🩷🍼🩵

20/08/2025

Our wonderful East Lancashire Breast Screening Service recently launched their brand new mobile breast screening unit. In this short video, our Breast Imaging Manager Lisa Porter-Bennett gives a tour of the van, letting you know what to expect when you go for your breast screening. As this is a mobile unit, it will be moving around East Lancashire to make sure all eligible women have the opportunity to be screened, check out the East Lancashire Breast Screening Service page for the latest information and updates🩷🩷

18/08/2025

Our ELHT Specialist Medicines Optimisation Care Home Team (SMOCH) have been working with Constantia Healthcare Group on a project reducing the number of medications given to residents in Constantia’s care homes to improve resident's health and wellbeing. One of those is 101-year-old Evelyn Ainsworth, who lives at Middlesbrough Grange Care Home. Before the project, she was falling regularly and often too tired to engage in daily life. After her medication was reduced, Evelyn became more alert, took part in activities, and regained her independence. Congratulations to our SMOCH team for all of their work with this project which will allow care home staff to review medicines and improve outcomes for their residents🏠💜

08/08/2025

📢 🏥Our Antenatal Day Unit (ADU) is moving from the ground floor next to the Antenatal clinic in the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre (LWNC) at Burnley General Hospital to the first floor next to the maternity triage department in the LWNC on Wednesday 13 August 2025.

ADU services are just moving a floor up; opening times and contact numbers remain the same. This move will not affect any planned appointments- please attend at your usual date and time

07/08/2025

This week was World Breastfeeding Week 2025 and at ELHT we are proud to support families with baby-friendly care🩵 To celebrate the week, colleagues from our Baby friendly team and Maternity services created a new breastfeeding noticeboard full of information for parents and colleagues. They also led walkarounds of our children’s wards to chat to colleagues, share information, offer support and answer questions, all to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding. Well done to all involved with promoting this important cause👶🌍

06/08/2025

🎉 Today is play day at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital! Thanks to a generous donation in memory of former nurse Ann Curtis, children and young people are enjoying new outdoor play equipment 🏀

Play is vital for young patients’ wellbeing and our Play Team makes sure everyone has fun with outdoor activities, crafts and more! 💛

All this is made possible by ELHT&Me’s Power of Play appeal and every donation makes a real difference 🙌

👉 Read the post below to learn more...

04/08/2025

Colleagues from the Royal Blackburn Endoscopy Unit have been presented with a silver Safe Personal and Effective Care (SPEC) Award, for the outstanding care they provide to patients.

The unit at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital provides elective and acute diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for our diverse community within East Lancashire. Manager, Karen Higham, praised the team’s achievements by saying: “Under the approachable style leadership and management of our senior operational and nursing teams, with whom we have close working relationships, each member of the Endoscopy team is highly valued and every colleague makes their own individual contribution to ensure we provide safe, personal and effective care in line with standards set out by our clinical governance frameworks."

Congratulations RBTH Endoscopy🩵💜💚

25/07/2025

Our fabulous and much loved Head of Happiness, Alfie the therapy dog has a special invitation for you. He'll be at St Cuthbert's Church, Darwen, between 10am and 12noon on Saturday, 26 July for a special coffee morning raising awareness and money for our hospital charity ELHT&Me.
Alfie raises the spirits of patients and colleagues across our Trust and this is only possible thanks to generous donations that fund his care.

🐶☕ Coffee, cuddles & a cause!
Join us at St Cuthbert’s Church, Darwen on Saturday 26 July, 10am–12pm for a special coffee morning featuring Alfie the ELHT&Me therapy dog—aka Head of Happiness 💙
Every penny raised goes toward Alfie’s care, helping him bring comfort and joy to patients across East Lancashire Hospitals.
Pop by for a brew and a sweet treat, meet Alfie, and support this amazing cause.
https://www.elhtandme.co.uk/donate