An Accident and Emergency Department should be reinstated at Burnley General Hospital. And, alongside, there should be a published protocol setting out which conditions could be treated there and those, such as severe burns and head injuries, which would have to go elsewhere.

This was the straightforward message delivered by Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, to Professor Matthew Cooke, the National Director of Emergency and Urgent Care, when they met in London earlier today.

Speaking after the meeting, the MP said: "Professor Cooke was totally up to speed on all the issues and, as you would expect, he had a very good understanding of the background."

"The plain fact is that Burnley’s Urgent Care centre is operating below capacity as ambulances take people on to Blackburn which often struggles to cope."

The MP added: "Burnley’s Urgent Care Centre could do what many A&E departments elsewhere are doing."

Note to Editors: See the full commentary by the Pendle MP which was given to Professor Cooke.