LIZ Bateman is living proof of the level of treatment and care seriously ill patients receive at the new £1.5 million critical care unit at Burnley General Hospital.

Liz, who officially opened the unit yesterday, was given less than a one per cent chance of survival after being struck down by two potentially fatal illnesses at once, meningitis and septicaemia.

She received the last rites but three times in the following few weeks the medical team's intervention saved her life.

She is proof that patients in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale now lead the United Kingdom in the level of treatment they receive when they are seriously ill.

Burnley Health Care NHS Trust has officially opened a new state-of-the-art critical care unit which has high specification monitoring equipment available nowhere else in the UK.

Liz, 39, of Longfield Terrace, Cliviger, was invited to officially open the facility because she needed the unit's specialist care when she was struck by the two potentially killer conditions at the same time.

On her first night in the critical care unit she was given a less than one per cent chance of survival and received the last rites.

Three times over the next few weeks the medical team's actions brought the mother back to life.

After nine weeks in the unit and a few more weeks on a general ward she recovered and was left with no lasting legacy of her illness.

Alison Lacey, sister in the unit, said: "Liz seemed the best person to be our VIP guest , as she is a reminder of what can be achieved as a result of the trust's investment in new facilities and equipment and through the dedication and vigilance of the first class team we have here."

Liz, who has a daughter Lisa, added: "I don't have enough words to say how grateful I am to the staff at the unit.

"They are prepared to cry with you, laugh with you and in fact do everything it takes to help you not just survive, but truly live again.

"For example, my body was such a mess that at times I wanted it to be all over. The staff got their heads together and decided I needed a distraction.

"They encouraged my husband Mike to bring in a small TV. Keeping my mind active was just one of the hundreds of ways they kept me going and gave me back my health."

The new unit has sections for intensive care, coronary care and high dependency, each has five beds, specially trained staff and the latest technology.