MP Patrick Hurley has hailed the success of “a hard-fought campaign to restore high-quality emergency care to the children of Southport”.
It follows the decision to reinstate full A&E services, including children’s emergency care, at Southport and Formby District General Hospital, 23 years after they closed.
The NHS will now invest £33m to improve emergency service at Southport Hospital, which includes creating up to 350 new car parking spaces.
The decision was informed by an extensive full public consultation carried out by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust together with the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB.
Since 2003, emergency services have been divided between the two sites: Southport providing adult A&E services, and Ormskirk providing children’s emergency care.
This split model has remained a long‑standing point of debate.
Stakeholders in Southport have argued that, as the larger population centre and a destination for younger visitors during the summer months, the town requires a children’s A&E service. Those in Ormskirk, meanwhile, have highlighted the town’s more central geographical position for surrounding communities.
In recent years, this arrangement has come under growing strain. The children’s A&E at Ormskirk has operated on reduced overnight hours, closing between midnight and 8am, and leaving families to travel to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool for emergency care.
As part of the Shaping Care Together programme, an independent analysis was commissioned to examine the findings from the consultation.
More than 5,000 people submitted survey responses, with thousands more taking part in public meetings and community engagement events.
The resulting report assessed clinical evidence alongside the views and experiences of residents, patients, and staff.
The report concluded that Southport’s proposal to host both adult and children’s A&E services was the clinically preferred option.
With the decision now approved at local level, the NHS will proceed to commit £33m to ensure the smooth transition of children’s services to Southport.
Additionally, up to 350 new car parking spaces are to be built to accommodate the hospital’s increased capacity.
Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport and the Northern Parishes said:
“This decision marks the end of a hard-fought campaign to restore high-quality emergency care to the children of Southport, and I could not be prouder of every resident and campaigner who raised their voice to make it happen.
“The streamlining of regional A&E services will allow our local NHS to reduce staff shortages, cut down on treatment times and deliver a better standard of care. I will work hard to ensure the service provides the best possible outcomes for families across our community.”
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