EAST Lancashire health chiefs have taken a ‘difficult decision’ to back plans for severe dementia patients to be sent to Blackpool – which will bring the closure of 60 beds around the county.

East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will support the controversial changes so long as certain conditions are met, including patients and families being reimbursed for some of their travel costs.

The changes will affect about 30 patients per year, and enable another £4million to be ploughed into home care for dementia patients with less serious problems.

The move, proposed by a specially-convened NHS committee, has been in the pipeline for several years, and finally looks set to go ahead, despite major concerns about transport being raised during a consultation earlier this year.

Regional bosses pledged to consider alternative sites when they received the consultation findings, but another location was always unlikely to be offered, as it would have incurred extra costs, and potentially delayed the project for years.

Building work has already started on a 154-bed mental health facility in Blackpool, called The Harbour, with 30 of the beds allocated for patients with severe dementia.

Members of East Lancashire CCG recognised that further delays would prevent resources being freed up for improved home care.

Di van Ruitenbeek, chairman of the CCG, told her colleagues on Monday: “This is not an easy decision for us to make, but we do have to take decisions of this kind as a governing body.

“This is not something we would have chosen as our favourite option.”

The specialist dementia ward at Burnley General Hospital has already closed, with patients being seen in Preston until the Blackpool site is complete.

A unit at the Royal Blackburn will also close under the plans.

Russ McLean, chairman of the Pennine Lancashire Patient Voices Group, said: “It seems the CCG’s hands are tied, and they’ve had to go with the best option available.”