QUESTIONS will be asked after a survey revealed hospitals in East Lancashire have some of the country's highest hospital death rates -- and lower than average numbers of doctors.

The first NHS survey of its kind revealed Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare and Burnley Healthcare had some of the worst mortality rates in the country.

The survey forms the basis of a new consumer guide to hospitals and is the first national assessment of performance weighted to take account of local factors such as patients' conditions and their ages.

The mortality rates are based on 174 trusts across the country with an average figure of 100 deaths.

Indicators showed the Burnley trust, which runs Burnley General and Rossendale and Pendle Community Hospital, was voted the ninth worst in the country with a mortality rate of 112 -- 12 more than the national average.

BHRV Trust runs Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Queens Park Hospital and the East Lancashire Hospice and only fared slightly better with a mortality rate of 110, putting it in 20th spot.

Last summer health expert Dr Stephen Morton, of the East Lancashire Health Authority, said the high local hospital death rate was down to the bad general health of local people due to poor housing and diet and high levels of smoking.

But Sir Brian Jarman, emeritus professor at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, who carried out the research, linked the findings to the number of doctors per bed.

Burnley hospitals were shown to have an average of 25 doctors per 100 beds while in Blackburn and surrounding areas there were 26.

University College London Hospitals had 63 doctors per 100 beds -- 29 more than the national average.

Nigel Robinson, chief officer of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Community Health Council, said he would meet chief executive John Thomas tomorrow (16th January) to discuss the results.

He added: "The figures are obviously worrying but you have to look behind the scenes. Blackburn has one of the highest coronary heart disease rates in the country, which is going to affect how things look.

"We also have a higher incidence of ill health than most other places, which is shown by higher than average admission rates which never seem to fall."

Mr Robinson said although he was concerned about the number of doctors, he said the health trust had as many staff as they could afford. The only known vacancies were in Accident and Emergency departments but Mr Robinson said they were waiting for people to finish their training.

Other results revealed that the Blackburn Trust was one of the worst performers for urgent breast cancer referral, with 84 per cent of cases seen in two weeks, compared with Burnley's 100 per cent record.

But despite having one of the best gynaecology waiting lists -- 95 per cent of patients seen in 13 weeks, only 76 per cent of patients in Blackburn said they trusted their doctor.