REFUGEES who flee the strife-torn Balkan war could be found a new home at Calderstones Hospital in the Ribble Valley, it was revealed today.

The NHS Executive has contacted health managers at the Whalley-based site about the possibility of housing Albanian Kosovars and other homeless victims of the Serb oppression - if they are brought into the UK.

Calderstones, the only remaining old-style institution of its kind in the North West, completed its programme of resettling patients into the community last month and the bulk of the buildings are now lying empty.

It also has been put on refugee stand-by because it has the necessary heating and kitchen facilities.

A spokesman for the NHS Executive in the North West said: "The (national) emergency planning team of the health service has contacted estates departments of NHS regional offices to inquire what accommodation would be available if Kosovar refugees came to England.

"Calderstones was a logical choice to inquire about because we know there is some space. We know what it has in terms of kitchen facilities, heating and warm rooms.

"There are no plans for refugees to come to this country yet and this is an information gathering exercise, but if it happens we will be geared up."

Russ Pearce, chief executive of Calderstones NHS Trust, confirmed that he had received the approach from the NHS Executive.

He said: "The NHS Executive rang around various NHS trusts in the North West checking out the accommodation which is available.

"The situation is that we have been asked if we could do something and we have been asked to produce some information about the cost and implications of being able to provide accommodation."

"It is ironic because we resettled the last of our patients into the community at the end of March and now there is talk of us housing Kosovar refugees."

Patients have now been moved out of the long-stay wards at Calderstones into the community. The trust is retaining its medium-secure unit which houses dozens of patients with "challenging behaviour."

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