HEALTH bosses are meeting Pendle MP Gordon Prentice over plans to close a day hospital for elderly patients at Burnley General.

The MP will meet Trust chief executive David Chew and chairman Brian Foster to discuss a variety of health issues facing the area.

But he will focus on the controversial day hospital closure plan which, he says, has generated a great amount of anxiety in the district.

The trust plans to close the Burnley facility and develop further similar services at Rossendale General and Pendle Community hospital, but is presently conducting full public consultation on the proposal.

Mr Prentice said: "The new Government has made health a top priority and we want to address the problem of health inequality in Britain.

"Here in North East Lancashire we have more than our fair share of ill-health and I want to make sure we are doing all we can to address the root causes."

He added that the LabourGovernment had made a good start toward fulfilling its manifesto promises on health. It had moved towards dismantling the internal market in health care, ending the two-tier system of control and allocating an extra £1.2 billion to the NHS next year.

Mr Prentice went on: "We have given a cash boost to breast cancer treatment, opened up Trust board meetings and done lots more besides.

"People want the NHS to deliver the best in health treatment and that is our top priority," he added.

Earlier this week the MP met the chairman of chief executive of East Lancashire Health Authority to discuss local health care issues.

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