CASH-STRAPPED hospital bosses have sparked controversy with plans to spend £1million on public art.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is looking for sponsorship and grants to fund the scheme, which bosses believe will aid patients' recovery.

The money will not come from cash allocated for patient care.

But some critics today said officials would be better off working to cover a £4million debt which threatens to impact on services, rather

One piece of artwork has already been commissioned, using £25,000 of cash from a Government-funded scheme called 'Arts for Health' and donations.

The 9m by 1.5m piece of 'textile art' will 'reflect the buildings and places which make up the communities of Blackburn and Darwen.'

It will be hung in the reception of the new £100million Queen's Park Hospital extension, due to open next summer.

But public art is planned at other hospitals, including the extension to Burnley General Hospital.

Details of the scheme come at a time when the Trust is under fire for the state of its wards, with Trust chief executive Jo Cubbon admitting some are 'dirty'.

Jackie Hadwen, head of the Queen's Park Hospital extension project, said: "We are working closely with the local authority on our plans for public art.

"Art is something we feel very strongly about as it has a huge therapeutic and aesthetic value.

"We are doing everything possible, without diverting resources from clinical care, to ensure the environment we create in and around the new hospital is as good as it can be."

But Coun Roy Davies, a member of Blackburn with Darwen Council's health overview and scrutiny committee, said: "Someone at the hospital will be sitting there working out how to get this money.

"Their time would be better spent working out how to cover the debt the hospital has at the moment, which is having an impact on services. I know people who are waiting longer, and can't get appointments.

"They closed the creche at Queen's Park earlier this year. If they can't find the money to keep that open, they shouldn't be chasing money for art."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "This is a staggering amount of money. You don't stop to see a nice statue when you're being rushed into A&E."

A spokesman for the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Money will be raised through sponsorship and grants. The Trust would like to raise a total sum of around £1million for the project."

The search for money will be carried out by existing staff.

Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn, said: "This is not just about spending on art, it is about creating an environment where people, both patients and staff, feel happy.

"There is a balance to be struck and I shall be speaking to the Trust to make sure that we are getting value for money."

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "People, both patients and staff, need to have a nice environment and artworks are part of that.

"However, £1million does seem like a lot of money, especially for a health trust in financial difficulty.

"I want to ensure that the spending is value for money which will help with the recovery of patients in East Lancashire's hospitals."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We understand that most money spent in hospitals on art comes from charitable donations. Some medical experts say that art can be used to create a healing environment for patients or as valuable therapy for patients."

The initial work of art will be evaluated by Manchester Metropolitan University's faculty of art to see what benefit it gives patients.