Ormskirk vs Southport: Hospital A&E Battle Heats Up in West Lancashire
West Lancashire Borough Council calls for adult and children’s A&E services to be at Ormskirk Hospital
West Lancashire Borough Council has formally adopted a position in support of co-locating both adult and children’s 24-hour Accident & Emergency (A&E) services at Ormskirk Hospital.
The motion, carried at a recent meeting of Full Council, comes in response to the public consultation led by the Shaping Care Together Joint Committee, which is considering future urgent and emergency care provision across the former Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust catchment area, including Southport, Formby and West Lancashire. The options presented by the Committee bring both adult and children’s A&E provision to one location, that being either Ormskirk Hospital or Southport Hospital.
Ormskirk Hospital’s central location within the catchment area places nearly all residents within a 10 kilometre radius. However, the Joint Committee has expressed a preference for co-location at Southport Hospital, which would leave Ormskirk, and the whole West Lancashire borough, without A&E services and place some residents over 20 kilometres away from emergency care.
The Council believes that all residents across West Lancashire, Southport and Formby deserve equal access to world-class NHS services, free at the point of delivery. Therefore, round-the-clock provision of both adult and children’s A&E services at Ormskirk Hospital would provide the greatest accessibility for the greatest number of people. This should include restoration of a full 24hr Children’s A&E service at Ormskirk, which has been closed overnight since 2020, despite the change being considered a temporary move at the time.
The Council has now committed to submit a formal response to the consultation advocating for the co-location of services at Ormskirk Hospital, which will include a report led by the Council’s Health & Wellbeing officers.
Councillor Vickie Cummins, Lead Member for Health & Wellbeing, said: “We strongly believe all residents in the catchment area affected by this decision are best-served by 24hr A&E services being reinstated in Ormskirk.
“Many of our residents do not drive and public transport can be an issue, so travelling 20 kilometres to access urgent care is impractical and difficult. To now lose the children’s A&E department will be another blow and extremely concerning for anyone with a young family.
"Services for Lancashire residents is already complex due to NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) boundaries, and Southport Hospital sitting in Merseyside, meaning West Lancashire has no voice in decision-making. Moving A&E to Southport, outside Lancashire ICB, risks further fragmentation, especially during local government reorganisation.
“Centrally located services would make getting emergency care a far more reasonable option for everyone. I urge everyone in the Borough to make their voices heard by taking part in the consultation.”
Residents are encouraged to participate in the consultation and make their views heard by visiting: About the consultation | Your Say Shaping Care Together
There are also a number of public Q&A sessions residents can attend to find out more:
Online session, Wednesday 20 August, 5.30pm to 7pm
Online session, Tuesday 26 August, 1pm to 2.30pm
Banks - The Hub, Tuesday 2 September, 1pm to 2.30pm
Skelmersdale - Greenhill Community Hub, Tuesday 2 September, 5.30pm to 7pm
Tarleton - Mere Brow Village Hall, Tuesday 16 September, 5.30pm to 7pm
Ormskirk - Ministry Centre, Christ Church, Aughton, Tuesday 23 September, 5.30pm to 7pm
Visit About the consultation | Your Say Shaping Care Together to register for one of the sessions.
The consultation closes on 3 October 2025.
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Last Updated | Thursday, August 14, 2025 | 3:44 PM