Tell us what you think - vascular services.
Thank you for taking part in this consultation on proposed changes to vascular surgery for inpatients who live in Lancashire, South Cumbria and Wigan. Your views will help the NHS understand what matters most to local people before any final decision is made.
What are vascular services?
Arteries carry blood away from the heart. Veins carry blood back to the heart. Vascular teams treat blocked, narrowed or weak blood vessels.
- Medicines and regular checks are enough for many people.
- Urgent surgery may be needed when blood flow is badly reduced or there is a serious risk.
- Treatment can help prevent strokes, save limbs and save lives.
- Sometimes part of a limb must be removed by a vascular surgeon to stop severe infection or pain.
- Many people who need vascular care are older or unwell.
How is the service currently provided?
Royal Blackburn Hospital and Royal Preston Hospital both provide inpatient vascular care. Local hospitals provide clinics, tests and day-case treatment.
People in Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire mainly use Royal Blackburn Hospital for inpatient care. They have the choice to also use Royal Preston Hospital for planned admissions.
People in Blackpool, South Cumbria, Wigan and the rest of Lancashire mainly use Royal Preston Hospital for inpatient care.
Which parts might change?
The proposal is that Royal Preston Hospital would become the main centre for planned and emergency inpatient vascular surgery. It would provide inpatient arterial surgery and specialist interventional radiology 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an on-call emergency team.
The proposal is not to move the whole vascular service to Preston. It is about complex artery surgery, emergencies and inpatient stays. Outpatient, diagnostic, ambulatory, rehabilitation and appropriate day-case provision will remain at network hospitals, including Royal Blackburn Hospital.
Who can respond?
Anyone who lives in, works in, or uses vascular services in Lancashire, South Cumbria or Wigan can respond. We are particularly keen to hear from people who live in East Lancashire (including Blackburn with Darwen) because they are most affected by the proposed change.
What to do before responding
Please read the consultation booklet before completing the questionnaire. There is also a summary version and other accessible format versions available that you may prefer to read instead or as well.
If you’re completing this questionnaire online, all the consultation materials can be found here -Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - vascular transformation opens in a new tab
If you are completing a paper copy of this questionnaire, you should also have been given a paper copy of the consultation booklet to read.
How to respond
You can complete this questionnaire online here or on paper. If you are using a paper copy, please return it to this address:
FREEPOST
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB
Consultation closes: Friday 27 November 2026
Privacy: This survey is led by NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) working with and on behalf of the NHS Trusts in Lancashire, South Cumbria and Wigan. Your responses will be used to produce an anonymised consultation report. In order to do this, your answers may be shared with other NHS organisations, including the NHS Trusts involved, and partner organisations acting on our behalf. Please do not include information that identifies individual patients or staff in free-text answers.