PROJECT managers for the proposed merger of the hospital trusts for Blackburn and Burnley are due to unveil draft plans by the end of this month.

John Thomas, based at Burnley General Hospital, is putting together the draft of the consultation document, which will see Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust and Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust merge on an administration basis.

Bosses have stressed it will not affect hospital services, but that it could benefit patients by creating centres of excellence and attracting and retaining staff.

Mr Thomas, speaking at the Blackburn trust board meeting, said he expected to have the draft completed by the end of February, so that the project board would be able to look over it ready for public consultation to start by the end of March.

Mr Thomas, who is also chief executive of the Blackburn trust, said: I have relocated to the project office at Burnley General and that will give me greater opportunities to meet staff at Burnley.

"I have already had an opportunity to meet some staff there, and, I believe, on the whole, the project has been well received."

Blackburn chairman Ian Woolley stressed communication was essential. He said: "We are going to try to keep everybody informed of this. It is really important we keep people abreast of what is happening at the time with updates as we go along."

Non-executive board member, Eileen Scott, added: "If they (the staff) think there is a threat to something they have recognised and worked for for a long time, they have to be persuaded that what is proposed is going to be better than what they have got.

"That is the task of the communication strategy, I think."

Mr Thomas said he hoped that if the project stayed on schedule, public consultation could finish by the middle of June.

"This could mean that the decision could be made on this before the summer recess. If this happens -- but there are a lot of ifs and buts here -- and the proposals are accepted then the board could be appointed for the new merged trust in November this year."

In a recent telephone poll in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 70 per cent of readers thought the merger would be good news for Blackburn and Burnley.