BOSSES are looking for a bright spark to come up with a name for the new children's area in the Accident and Emergency department at Burnley General Hospital.

Six months after opening, staff at the hospital are still struggling to find a suitable name for the waiting room and specialised treatment areas which now cater for patients under 16. The £832,000 modernisation scheme was designed to improve the flow of people through the department.

The scheme was only made possible after the Trust secured a £400,000 grant from the government in January 1999 and this was topped up by a further £432,000 by the Trust itself.

Now after eight months of building works and refurbishment, children are kept separate from adult patients so their needs can be more effectively catered for. In addition to a new child-friendly waiting room, there are five more treatment bays, all colourfully designed by volunteer staff who gave up hours of their time to make it a brighter place.

The scheme also achieved the 'Secure by Design' award from Lancashire Constabulary after improving safety measures.

A separate suite of rooms called a holding bay has also been introduced to provide children and carers with a waiting room until they can be transferred to a paediatric intensive care unit, which is often at a different hospital. Other features to be changed as part of the scheme include a new entrance bay for ambulances, an improved resuscitation area, a new reception desk, improved office accommodation and improved consulting rooms.