AN office block is to be turned into a 15-bed ward to help ease a beds shortage at an East Lancashire hospital.

Health chiefs have approved the project at Burnley General Hospital, which will cost £375,000 to build and then £500,000 a year to run.

New beds were desperately needed at the hospital, which is struggling to cope with high numbers of emergency admissions.

Managers worked out 38 extra beds were needed and although they anticipate 100 more becoming available over the next few years with the £30m Phase Five extension and changes to mental health services, they needed to ease the immediate crisis.

Wards 21 and 22 of the Victoria Wing will be refurbished by April next year to provide 15 new beds, areas which currently provide dayroom and office accommodation.

A new temporary office building will be built for departments displaced by the refurbishment.

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust's divisional director Val Smith said: "The programme is designed to provide as many bed spaces as early as possible by running the new-build contract concurrently with the first part of the ward refurbishment contact. This will provide six beds by early 2004 and the remaining nine should be available by April 2004."

Despite a new 28-bed ward opening in November 2002, increased pressure to reduce in-patient waiting times and high numbers of emergency admissions has contributed to the beds shortage.