A STATE-of-the-art casualty unit at Burnley General Hospital is now offering patients better care.

But although work on the £445,000 remodelling scheme is now complete, a further £445,000 programme in another six months will begin to extend and improve the department's facilities even more.

Last year's 25-week project was carried out while the accident and emergency department was fully operational, and through the winter rush when the staff had to cope with full waiting rooms.

The main work involved the creation of new resuscitation bays to replace the former resuscitation room. The new area is stocked with £110,000 worth of life-saving monitors and equipment.

Clinical nurse manager Roger Spencer said: "We have created five high dependency bays where people who will be admitted to hospital are treated and a new decontamination unit where people can be taken straight from the ambulance without having to go through the department.

"We have five minor treatment areas for patients who are not likely to be admitted and a special store to replace the bits of stores which were dotted all over the unit.

"We carried out the work in four phases so we could keep the service going, but attendance numbers kept going up."

Burnley Health Care Trust applied for money from a £30 million government pot which was announced to modernise accident and emergency departments built 20 years ago. Only £5 million was awarded to trusts in the North West, and Burnley secured £445,000.

The plans for the latest money have still to be finalised but include segregating children's and adults' waiting areas, creating a new reception and better facilities for staff and additional cubicles.

The department may be extended on the first floor and the casualty section will try out a telemedia link with Blackburn Royal for facial injury cases where a TV link will be established to connect the patient and the specialised consultant to speed up diagnostics.

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