Inquiry call into changes at Burnley hospital (From This Is Lancashire)

Inquiry call into changes at Burnley hospital

2:05pm Sunday 3rd February 2008 in

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CALLS have been made for an independent investigation into changes made at Burnley General Hospital.

Councillor Darren Reynolds wants an inquiry into the controversial Meeting Patients' Needs clinical services review, which saw the town lose its emergency department to the Royal Blackburn Hospital in November.

He has tabled a motion, which is set to be debated at Burnley's full council meeting on Wednesday, calling for a vote of no confidence in hospital bosses.

Since the changes, all ambulances from across East Lancashire go to the Blackburn hospital, while acute medical wards have been moved from Burnley's £30 million Phase Five extension, which opened less than two years ago but has been left half-empty.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs both hospitals, has come under fire since the changes, over fears that patients are being put at risk by long ambulance journeys, and cancelled operations at Blackburn.

Liberal Democrat councillors in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale have launched a website, its-our-nhs.org.uk, to collect grievances from patients and staff members and form a dossier of information to pass on to the government.

In his written motion to the council, website administrator Coun Reynolds said there had been an "alarming number" of complaints from patients, staff and managers.

He said: "These complaints centre on overstretched staff and bed closures at the Royal Blackburn; and on Burnley General's almost empty new private finance initiative building which costs a third of a million pounds per month to run.

"We call upon the Secretary of State for Health to set up an urgent and independent review to advise how services could be restored in both hospitals, including returning the blue light accident and emergency service to Burnley.

"Burnley Borough Council believes that the Trust should give us our hospital back."

Last week East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust announced plans to spend £26.5m extending the Phase Five development to house a new children's and women's services department.

The trust said that the new facility, which would be in an area of the hospital currently unused, would result in excellent care' for babies and mothers.

The vote will be held at the meeting on Wednesday at 7pm at the Town Hall.