'EXCELLENT and innovative' is how a top medical professional has described the Fylde's hospitals.

Sylvia Denton OBE, president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), praised Blackpool Victoria, South Shore and Devonshire Road hospitals after visiting the Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust sites.

The breast cancer nurse specialist spent a day taking in the Vic's A&E department and Macmillan Cancer Unit, the nurse-led ward at South Shore, and the clinical skills laboratory at Devonshire Road hospital, talking with many of the nursing staff.

She said: "The whole visit has been excellent. I have seen innovation and nursing excellence. The trust has superb nursing services and the professionalism of staff is outstanding.

"There is nursing excellence everywhere in the trust, especially at the nurse-led ward, which is a great resource for the people of Blackpool."

The visit was organised for the trust by Paul Jebb, the trust's recruitment and retention facilitator and RCN representative.

He said the tour had given the RCN president 'a snapshot' of the Fylde Coast's 'excellent nursing care'.

"It was an honour to have Sylvia as a visitor to our trust. As a practising nurse herself, and as someone who is elected to her position by fellow nurses, her opinions and praise is welcome."