THE woman who founded Rossendale Hospice is leading a new fight to set up a new cottage hospital to be set up in the borough.

Dorothy Mitchell MBE is heading Rossendale Hospital Group, set up to fight for services to be retained in Rossendale.

And the group wants to take advantage of new government proposals which back the introduction of modern cottage hospitals.

The group says adequate hospital services are no longer available in the Valley after it was revealed by the Evening Telegraph that the last overnight ward at Rossendale Hospital was to close by the summer.

Ward five, which has 14 beds for elderly mental health patients, is to move to Burnley General Hospital in April after health chiefs said it was no longer safe for staff and patients to work in an isolated hospital overnight without support for emergencies.

Coun David Hancock, who is a member of the group, said: "The group is not about necessarily saving the hospital, it's about campaigning for the services that Rossendale needs which Rossendale Hospital doesn't provide anymore because of the changes over the years.

"We are looking at what Rossendale actually needs such as preventative medicine, maternity care and dentistry basically all the things that aren't provided by a GP but aren't provided by the hospital at the moment.

"It's about linking up with the borough council and Lancashire County Council to pull all the services and health and social issues on to one site with a new modern hospital building that's easily accessible.

"The government is bringing out a White Paper on health care and looking towards providing cottage hospitals. We are only asking for what this government is actually recommending. This has never been done before."

The fate of the Rawtenstall hospital site forms part of a review by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Project leader Val Bertenshaw said: "There is a clear need for a wide range of health services in Rossendale. Given that the existing buildings were designed for an old style service, a new build would be the best option.

"East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust are happy to work with the Rossendale Hospitals Group and any other interested parties."