FOUR public meetings to discuss controversial changes to East Lancashire's hospitals are to be held this week.

Doctors and health professionals have been drawing up plans for a 16-week consultation to begin on March 20.

Their ideas so far will be presented to the four meetings, which are split into different types of hospital care.

In October, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust suggested intensive care beds should be in either Blackburn or Burnley but not both.

This caused uproar in Burnley as many feared the plans would favour the new hospital extension at Queen's Park in Blackburn, due to replace Blackburn Royal Infirmary from July.

The meetings are: Emergency care, today, Clayton Park Conference Centre, 6pm to 8pm; elective (planned) care, tomorrow, The Globe Centre, Accrington, 2pm to 4pm; women's, children's and diagnostics, February 23, Inn on the Wharf, Burnley; long-term conditions, February 27, Northern Technologies, Nelson, 6pm to 8pm.

People who want to attend need to register by calling 01254 293678.