HEALTH chiefs are considering creating "departure lounges" for hospital patients in East Lancashire to free beds for winter emergency admissions.

The lounges would be used by patients who had been discharged but who were not able to leave hospital until later in the day.

Discharged patients sometimes continued to use beds while they waited to leave the wards.

Chairman of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Community Health Council, Frank Clifford, said: "A departure lounge is being created to provide comfortable accommodation between discharge and being collected and taken out of the hospital. It will help to stop bed blocking and will make beds more available."

The lounges are one of the steps being taken by health chiefs to tackle the problem of beds shortages for emergency admissions, particularly over winter when the problem is most acute. The cost of the scheme is to be investigated. Mr Clifford told CHC members: "A number of you are aware that there was concern across the North West about emergency admissions and the pressure put upon trusts about bed availability.

"Work is being done by the health authority and Burnley Health Care Trust."

The authority has come up with a number of initiatives, including the departure lounges, to help cope with demand for emergency admissions.

He added: "I think it's good this is taking place and people are working to avoid a headline crisis during the winter."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.