HEALTH chiefs have come under fire for proposing to axe the only official bereavement counsellor for two hospitals as part of £15.6million of cuts.

The move by the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust - which is expected to save around £30,000 - has been criticised by a support group for parents who have lost children, a health scrutiny boss and the county's chairman of bereavement charity Cruse.

Health chiefs said bereavement counselling could be provided by GPs and the voluntary sector.

But according to primary care trust figures, there is a waiting list of between six and nine months to see for a GP appointment for bereavement counselling.

And campaigners, who have already collected a 500-signature petition against the plan, said grieving people were often in need of immediate help which the hospital service provided.

As well as the bereavement counsellor, it has already been revealed that matrons, physiotherapists and midwifery managers were facing the axe, alongside hospital administrative and support staff.

Union Unison blasted the package of cuts at a time when the trust is paying £20million in interest payments a year to the private companies which built extensions at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals.

The hospital post, which was funded by a charitable bequest that has now ended, is the only official bereavement counsellor post at the trust.

The counsellor is also responsible for co-ordinating services, such as training other staff to help people cope with a bereavement.

Bosses said this had meant nurses and other health workers now had skills to help.

But campaigners said it was not enough.

Rebecca Dickinson, who helped to set up Lost Loves, a charity for parents who have lost children, said the loss of the service would leave bereaved parents with real problems.

She and volunteers from Lost Loves have set up the petition.

Mrs Dickinson, from Accrington, who has had support from the counsellor following a bereavement, said: "They are saying this service is duplicated but we know for a fact that it is not.

"We know from working with the bereavement service that it can offer a lot of help to people, immediately after they are bereaved.

"If they had not helped me then I would not have the quality of life I have today.

"You get help with things like inquests, after sudden deaths, and important things like understanding NHS procedures, which are very beneficial to the bereaved."

Coun Tony Humphrys, vice-chairman of Blackburn with Darwen council's health scrutiny committee, said he was concerned.

He said: "I would be very concerned if anything happened to the service as both my son and daughter have been assisted by counsellors from there.

"It is a vitally important service."

The Rev Toby Webber, Lancashire chairman of national bereavement charity Cruse, said he was concerned at the plans.

He said: "We would regret anything which would reduce the awareness of hospital staff in understanding best practice when it comes to dealing with bereaved people."

Helen Hedges, from Burnley, vice-chairman of the Patients and Public Information Forum for the hospitals, said it was the first time she had been made aware of the proposed cut.

She said she believed counselling could be sought elsewhere and went on: "Other organisations are available to offer counselling, such as local churches, who have people who can help out in these kinds of situations."

An East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said the bereavement services co-ordinator post was to be redeployed as part of the organisation's ongoing recovery plan, whereby £15.6 million in savings must be made in 2007/08.

The plan is subject to a three-month review before it is brought in.

The spokesman said: "It is important that individuals who require ongoing counselling and support are directed as soon as possible to specialised services outside a hospital setting, provided by GPs and the voluntary sector."