HEALTH watchdogs are poised to seek a High Court injunction to prevent the East Lancashire Health Authority from starting a new drug abuse service.

Community Health Council chiefs in Burnley have won support from local MPs and town councils in their challenge.

The authority has awarded an £800,000-a-year contract for community care for drug abusers to Blackburn-based service providers, Communicare.

In the past, Burnley and Blackburn ran their own services, funded by East Lancashire.

The CHC watchdogs say the contract for a merged service should not have been awarded without full public consultation with health councils.

Burnley chairman Coun Frank Clifford says the plan, due to be implemented on April 1, must by law be subject to consultation because it amounts to a major service change. That consultation had not been carried out and his council has warned the East Lancashire body it will take court action unless it voluntarily suspends its proposals.

Coun Clifford said the new proposals, which involve an area-wide service with shared care involving family doctors, was also being opposed by the vast majority of GPs who wanted to retain consultant-led services for drug abusers.

The local CHC has also written to Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell calling on him for support and to put up the money to allow it to make the legal challenge.

A similar letter has gone from the National Association of Community Health Councils to the Department of Health.

East Lancashire Health Authority rejects the claim that there was a legal requirement for consultation with CHCs and adds the contract was awarded quite properly.

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