MPs and health watchdogs today united against plans which could sign the death warrant for the county's ambulance service.

Proposed changes in the North West look set to result in Lancashire Ambulance Service being merged with other districts to cover a much wider area - because the NHS 'discussion' document proposals do not provide an option for the service to be retained as it is.

Opposition to the merger proposal is mounting as health chiefs say they want Chorley-based Lancashire Ambulance - consistently one of the most efficient services of its kind in the country - to be left just as it is.

Hyndburn MP and Government Whip Greg Pope today demanded that Lancashire's Ambulance Service be left alone.

He said: "It's ridiculous. We've got to learn that big is not always better in these things. "I want an ambulance service that is responsive to the needs of my constituents in Hyndburn. That isn't going to be possible with a service that covers the whole of the North West including Liverpool and Manchester which have different needs for my constituency.

"The merger with Cumbria is not quite as bad but the new service would still be too big. How could it properly serve an area which stretched from the far reaches of Barnoldswick to the Lake District?

"The people of Lancashire deserve a top quality ambulance service of their own in the county. I want to see the Lancashire Ambulance Service left as it is."

Burnley Community Health Council and Burnley MP Peter Pike added their voices to the call when the consultation document was discussed by the CHC.

A council team which studied the proposal expressed disappointment that retention was not given as an option.

They said LAS provided high quality care and they would need to be convinced that merger would provide greater benefits. Chairman Frank Clifford told the meeting that only if retention was ruled out totally would the CHC opt for a smaller-scale merger with South Cumbria.

"An ambulance service trust covering the whole of the North West would be a recipe for disaster," he said.

Mr Pike, who attended the Burnley town hall meeting, added: "Everyone I have heard says there is a very strong case for status quo and I will be saying that in my response - they offer a good service."

Today Mr David Hill, Lancashire Ambulance Service chief executive said his trust would be making a very similar response to the discussion document.

"We very much feel there is little case for change. We believe there should be greater collaboration between rather than amalgamation of the ambulance services in the North West."

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