INTENSIVE care beds may be more than doubled when the new Blackburn "super hospital" opens, it was revealed today.

The chairman of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, Ian Woolley, said the plans were still flexible and more facilities may be added to take account of new Government findings showing growing demand.

Present plans mean there would be 37 fewer permanent beds in the district when Blackburn Royal Infirmary is closed and all services are transferred to Queen's Park Hospital in 2004.

But space is being built in for up to 41 extra beds to be used on demand, including up to 12 more intensive care and high dependency beds - on top of the eight beds now available.

The new government report shows that although hospital stays are shorter on average, people are living longer and putting more demands on facilities.

Health secretary Alan Milburn said 4,000 more beds would be needed nationwide in future.

Severe bed shortages were highlighted during the recent flu outbreak when demand for medical beds outstripped supply throughout the North West.

The call to reverse the trend away from cutting bed numbers was welcomed in Burnley where health trust finance director David Meakin who revealed that last month the trust had written to NHS Regional Office calling for 20 extra medical beds to ensure local hospitals could cope with the increasing number of referrals. The removal of funding for one high dependency bed had meant the trust having to find £300,000 from its own budget to keep it operative over the last year, he said.

Demand had resulted this year in a near capacity bed occupancy of 91 per cent, compared with 80 per cent five years ago.

Mr Woolley said the trust would study the report and may follow the recommendations to open extra beds.

He said some flexibility had already been built into the plans to take account of the fast-changing demands on the health service and the 41 extra beds may become permanent, depending on needs.

Funding has not yet been found for extra intensive care staff, but Mr Woolley said staffing would be discussed as it was needed nearer the time.

Combining the two sites will mean huge efficiency savings, ending 16,000 patients transfers between the hospitals every year.

Hyndburn residents called for improved public transport to the Queen's Park Hospital site at a meeting to discuss the impact of the super hospital plan.

The meeting, arranged by the Accrington, Church and Great Harwood Partnership, also heard health chiefs give assurances that Accrington Victoria Hospital would not be affected by the closure of Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

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