HEALTH CARE will receive a £14million boost when phase four of Burnley General Hospital is completed this week -- 10 years after it began.

Work on the multi-million pound redevelopment is set to be unveiled on Friday by Burnley MP Peter Pike.

The new Orthopaedic Unit was the first scheme to be completed within the phase four project. The Unit, fitted with state-of-the-art equipment to deal with hip replacements -- was opened in Autumn 1998, the year in which the National Health Service celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

The Unit was created following the conversion and refurbishment of an existing building, which was once remote from the main hospital. However, easy access was established by the creation of a bridge link.

At the official opening ceremony, the unit was christened the Victoria Wing to honour the memory of the former Victoria Hospital.

The Victoria Wing, including three mental health wards, a day hospital for the elderly, severely mentally ill, two orthopaedic wards and the new overhead bridge linking the unit to the main hospital corridor, cost more than £3million and took 18 months to complete.

The Edith Watson Unit brought together health services for women and children for the first time at the hospital.

The unit, the second major project to be completed within phase four, was first opened in November 1968. It was named after one of Burnley's most famous residents, Edith Watson O.B.E, who was a pioneer of the child welfare movement in Burnley.

It was recognised by the Government, when it received the prestigious Beacon Status Award for Best Practice -- the first NHS Directorate to receive such an award.

More recently, they picked up the Millennium Charter Award for overall excellence in paediatric services, at the Action for Sick Children Awards ceremony.

The third element of the phase four development saw the creation of an integrated medical assessment unit, fully equipped with a wide range of diagnostic equipment, together with the refurbishment of two medical wards. An extension to the existing ward one and the creation of a new ambulance entrance was also part of the plan. As preparation for this new development, the Trust introduced a pilot scheme relating to assessment and admissions. The aim was to improve the way that patients were assessed in accident and emergency, by placing them in appropriate facilities such as the admissions ward or coronary unit.

Patients are now assessed, treated and discharged in a way which greatly reduces unnecessary overnight stays or multiple transfers around the site.

The Wilson Hey Theatre and Day Case Unit complex was the fourth and final part of the phase four development and provided the Trust with much-needed additional theatre capacity -- three new operating theatres, with the latest high tech equipment. A new day case and endoscopy unit has also been created within the Wilson Hey complex.

David Chew, chief executive of the hospital trust, said: "When we embarked upon phase four, we knew that an improvement project of such magnitude was bound to impact on aspects of our services at Burnley General Hospital. It has taken a tremendous team effort to minimise that impact and my sincere thanks go to all those involved.

"This phase of developments means that we can bring the techniques, equipment and expertise of tomorrow to our area. It was an opportunity to make sure that local people had the highest possible standards of health care with ever-increasing ease of access."

The completion of phase four is the latest in a long line of development projects at Burnley General Hospital which can trace its origins back to building works which began as far back as the 1870's, when the new Burnley Workhouse opened to cope with the health problems created by congested and sub-standard living conditions of growing numbers of Burnley residents.

Last year, bosses at the hospital unveiled ambitious £20million plans for the next stage in its redevelopment.

More than 170 new beds will be created for dermatology and stroke patients.

New outpatient accommodation will also be created for ENT, audiology and dermatology patients.

A renal unit and new hospital main entrance are also included in the plans -- phase five of the hospital's redevelopment programme -- which will be paid for under the Private Finance Initiative scheme.