A MAN who had an epileptic fit in front of Burnley General Hospital has questioned why he was sent 15 miles to Blackburn for treatment.

But East Lancashire hospital bosses have insisted the Royal Blackburn Hospital was the most clinically suitable place to treat Michael McDonald, 40, who collapsed yesterday afternoon.

Mr McDonald told the Lancashire Telegraph he had been at a friend’s house in the Duke Bar area of Burnley when he felt the onset of a seizure.

He began walking towards Burnley General and was within sight of the urgent care centre when he suffered a fit.

In the collapse he suffered a head wound and started bleeding profusely, prompting a member of the public to call an ambulance.

Mr McDonald, from Nelson, said a nurse came out of the hospital to offer assistance before paramedics arrived.

“I was just about to walk down to the urgent care centre when I had a seizure and fell, hitting my head,” he said.

“I travelled to Blackburn on a spinal board, and it was not exactly a smooth journey. They glued the injury and now I’m suffering from a serious headache.”

Mr McDonald, who discharged himself from the Blackburn hospital, said: “I’ve been staying at my partners because you can’t be on your own with a head injury.”

Former Burnley MP Peter Pike, who has campaigned for the return of fuller emergency services at the hospital, said: “This just highlights the crazy situation we are in.

“Hopefully the independent review of the urgent care centre, which was expected on March 31, will be published soon.”

Mr Pike and his colleague Ian Woolley, a former hospital board chairman, are pressing for the review’s finding to be made public urgently.

Nelson councillor Eileen Ansar said: “This just goes to show why we need the accident and emergency department back at the hospital. It is a disgraceful situation.”

A joint statement from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and the North West Ambulance Service said; “Ambulance crews convey patients to the most suitable place for treatment.

“A patient with a head injury would generally be taken to the nearest emergency department.

"East Lancashire Hospitals can confirm this patient received appropriate treatment for his injuries.”