Greater Lancashire Hospital opened by Maya Ellis MP

Greater Lancashire Hospital (GLH) in Preston has been officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony by Maya Ellis, Member of Parliament for Ribble Valley.

The event, which took place at the new D’Urton Lane site, saw Maya given a full tour of the facilities before cutting the ribbon and unveiling a plaque, while also speaking to senior management and staff about their roles in delivering NHS services for local patients.

Family-owned Bespoke Healthcare Group announced the acquisition of First Trust Hospital last autumn for an undisclosed fee.

Since then the site has been undergoing a modernisation and refurbishment programme while concurrently obtaining CQC Certificate of Registration under the GLH name, which means it can now provide NHS inpatient services and greatly increase the volume of outpatient work and diagnostics it undertakes.

Maya said: “I was interested to hear how Greater Lancashire Hospital has the potential to alleviate pressure on the NHS and how this new facility is enabling the group to expand the services it offers.

“Meeting people passionate about what they do is inspiring and all the staff and those running the hospital should be proud of the work they are doing to care for patients.

"I was pleased to cut the ribbon to declare the hospital open and I wish Gwam, Sara and everyone involved every success in the future.”

 Gwam Rajiah, executive chair of Greater Lancashire Hospital and Bespoke Healthcare Group, added: “For over a decade we have worked closely with local NHS Trusts for the good of Lancashire patients, delivering services which offer value-for-money while preserving exceptionally high healthcare standards.

“Our new home means we can expand our already comprehensive list of services, both day cases and overnight stays, to help reduce waiting times for NHS patients throughout Lancashire.

“We would like to thank Maya for officially opening Greater Lancashire Hospital and taking the time to truly understand our unique model, which is a caring facility run by local people for local people.”

GLH, which was previously situated on Millennium City Park, has worked with Lancashire-based NHS healthcare trusts to decrease waiting times for patients for over a decade.

The new site on D’Urton Lane has two state-of-the-art general anaesthetic operating theatres and 22 beds including 14 en-suite, which means the healthcare firm can provide patients with overnight stays for the first time.

The hospital’s healthcare pathway is unique in that patients are seen by some of the UK's top consultants and clinicians from their first appointment, aiding a quicker diagnosis and a shortening of their healthcare journey.