HOSPITAL bosses have been criticised over a decision to close two medical wards because of financial difficulties.

The closure of medical rehabilitation wards B1 and B2 at Queens Park Hospital, Blackburn, will officially be discussed at today's Trust board meeting.

But staff on the ward have already been told the wards are to shut in June.

A Blackburn UNISON representative said staff were called to a meeting and told the wards were closing for financial reasons.

She said: "When ward seven was opened at Blackburn Royal Infirmary as an additional medical ward last year it was never made clear who would fund those beds.

"Now, due to financial reasons, they cannot run all three so will keep ward seven as it is nearer to diagnostic facilities such as the MRI scanner and X-ray department. Unfortunately there was very little notice on the closure and a lot of the staff are devastated and quite angry."

Staff, she said, had been assured they will still have a job but it could be in another department.

Richard Gildert, acting chief executive for the Trust, today said: "We are consulting staff regarding this issue and a discussion will take place at the Trust Board meeting on Wednesday. Once a decision has been made on the organisation of medical beds across the Blackburn Royal Infirmary and Queen's Park Hospital sites, the Trust will be in a position to issue a more detailed statement."

One nurse said staff on both wards were "shocked and extremely distressed."

She said: "I feel we need to be asking the management how they can persist in the development of a new 'super hospital' when they do not have the resources in terms of finance and trained staff to equip and run the hospital they have now."

Mollie Manthorpe, chairman of the trust's Patients' Forum, said it heard about the situation in the last week and had written to the trust asking for an explanation.

"I am also concerned because, as a patients' forum, I don't think we are getting the information we should."

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