PREPARATIONS are intensifying for the merger between Burnley and Blackburn hospital health trusts, which formally takes place on April 1, 2003.

One of the driving forces behind the work is new trust chairman Christine Kirk. Health reporter Roger Airey went to meet her...

FRANTIC is one word to sum up the life of Christine Kirk at the moment -- but, somehow, it doesn't quite cover it.

She started work as chairman of the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust in September -- two months before originally expected to.

And while she gets to grips with her new post there is also the business of handing over her old job after 10 years and helping the new chairman of Calderstones NHS Trust settle in.

She said: "There's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing at the moment. Boredom is definitely something I've not been experiencing."

The 53-year-old's involvement with the health service goes back to 1988 when she became a non-executive director of the then Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Health Authority. Until then she had been involved with the family firm Kirk Scaffolding, based in Blackburn, along with her husband Gary.

She said: "I had always been interested in health issues and was asked to join. Health boards back then were made up of around 18 or 19 members and were rather unwieldy, so it was difficult to see how things were being done.

"A few years later there was a reorganisation and boards were trimmed down to around 10 members plus a chairman. My enthusiasm grew from there really because I was better able to see how changes could be made to improve health care."

She is intensely proud of what was achieved in her 10 years at Calderstones -- but puts it down to the staff of the hospital in Whalley. By her own admission, the step up from being in charge of a relatively small trust such as Calderstones to the newly-merged one will be tough, but she is confident of making it and savouring the thought of the challenge.

The new trust will serve a population of around 400,000 people and employ 6,750 staff.

"Every new job is daunting but when it's something you really believe in, enjoy and can see the benefits created by what you're doing it gives you confidence," she said.

Christine feels there are many exciting times to look forward to, but particularly the £86m single site " superhospital" project at Queen's Park Hospital, due to be completed in 2005. Expansion is also planned at Burnley.

But rather than becoming too "bogged down" in individual issues, she sees her ultimate role as one aiming to improve things globally.

"The government gives us targets and we have to hit them and we will try our hardest to do it. But it's not just an academic exercise --the focus should be on the patient and improving services for them across the board.

"It's clear that Blackburn Royal Infirmary is coming to the end of its life and people deserve to be treated in a place better equipped. Things have to move on the new single site hospital will improve things immensely for patients and staff."

Her immediate job is to interview and appoint members of the board and a chief executive. Then her goal is to get the team ready for the big day in April next year.