CONTROVERSIAL cuts in funding for two specialist breast cancer staff have been slammed by Blackburn's Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, whose wife died from the disease.

Stephen Fenn claims the decision by cash-strapped health bosses to pull the plug on £26,000 for two breast care nurses is a blow for the treatment of the disease.

His wife, Jackie, died of breast cancer at the age of 44 in 1990.

Mr Fenn, a computer systems analyst, said: "Breast care nurses play a vital role in helping to detect breast cancer at an early stage. "The earlier it is detected the easier it is to treat.

"From personal experience, I know that the breast care nurses also provide valuable support for those women who have already been diagnosed as having breast cancer."

Mr Fenn, who lives in Clayton Brook, said: "The nurses used their experiences and knowledge to offer support and advice to my wife. She found it helpful."

The couple were living in Cheshire at the time and Mrs Fenn was treated at Christie Hospital, Manchester.

The funding cuts by East Lancashire Health Authority sparked outrage after they were revealed in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Nurses at the centre of the controversy, Wendy Birtwistle and Hazel James, have helped provide support for hundreds of cancer sufferers since 1992.

They also played an important role in educating other health professionals about breast cancer which kills two women per week in East Lancashire.

Health watchdogs have condemned the cuts and called for the nurses' jobs to be reinstated.

Mr Fenn added: "It is essential that services like this are maintained and I shall be raising the issue with East Lancashire Health Authority."

Funding was stopped about six months by the health authority and the nurses had recently been paid by CommuniCare NHS Trust in a bid to retain the service.

The authority has said it is now looking at introducing different models of care.

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