A new pilot to relieve pressure on accident and emergency services, and fast-track help for the elderly, is launching in Burnley West this year.

Residents in Burnley West will be able to fast-track into the older persons rapid assessment unit, based in the specialist frailty area at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, via a GP referral.

A GP will assess the patient and direct them to the best place to receive care and support.

This will help prevent them from having unnecessary waits in the busy A&E department. It could also potentially prevent them from being admitted into hospital.

Should the pilot prove successful following evaluation, it will be rolled out across other parts of Lancashire.

Kate Atkinson, director of service development and Improvement at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "There is a growing number of people with frailty who are more at risk of falls and being admitted to hospital.

"This pilot is part of our ongoing work to support early identification of frailty and supporting people to stay safe and well at home.

"We are working with a whole range of partners in the community and this is not only helping people live independently but also helping relieve some of the pressures on our hospital services."

According to the most recent data, published in July, waiting times for A&E have improved, though ambulance response times have lengthened and the size of the waiting list for treatment has gone up.

The waiting list for routine hospital treatment has risen for the second month in a row.

An estimated 7.6 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of May, relating to 6.38 million patients – up slightly from 7.57 million treatments and 6.33 million patients at the end of April.

In May it was announced that cash incentives will be offered to hospitals that do not leave patients waiting in A&E for 12 hours or more under new plans by NHS England.

The health service will also increase its use of virtual wards in a bid to free up space in emergency departments.

Experts welcomed the measures – which form part of an update to the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan – but warned that they come at a time when the NHS is “in crisis”.