UNION chiefs are planning to place billboards across East Lancashire to highlight their fight against proposals for a shake up of intensive care units at the region's hospitals.
Unison is to place about 10 billboards throughout the area from November 21. Posters, postcards and a petition will also be circulated throughout GP surgeries and health centres.
The move is to show opposition to proposals from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Health bosses last month said intensive care and high dependency care beds could be removed from either Blackburn Queen's Park Hospital or Burnley General Hospital and placed on one site.
But the proposals, part of four options being considered by the Trust, have met with fierce opposition from MPs and the public.
Peter Dales, Health Staff's Staffside Secretary at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Tim Ellis, Unison Regional Officer for the Lancashire Health Service, have written to health bosses and councils outlining concerns.
They said: "The trust proposals can only worsen intensive care bed pressure, and threatens greater numbers of the public with mortality or unnecessary worsening of medical health."
A series of emergency meetings are also being held in the area to discuss fears over the possible loss of critical care beds. A public meeting will be held next Thursday in the Abram Room at Blackburn Library with another in Burnley the following Wednesday at the James Hargreaves suite at Burnley Football Club.
The meetings are being organised by the Patient and Public Involvement forum which acts as a watchdog for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Its chairman, Mollie Manthorpe, said Blackburn people should get involved even though fears are highest for Burnley General.
She said: "There is a danger many Blackburn and Darwen people believe the proposals will affect the facilities, such as A & E and intensive care, only at Burnley. This isn't necessarily the case.
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