A DEDICATED team of specialists who take patients' blood in hospital is facing the axe to save cash.

Front-line staff will be asked to take on the role of the phlebotomist team, which has seven full time and one part time workers, under the plans.

Bosses have insisted the move - part of a massive £14 million savings programme - is still under discussion.

If it goes ahead the team will be scrapped from East Lancashire's hospitals from April 1 to save £95,000 a year.

But the move was today attacked by a leading authority on the specialism.

Phlebotomists take a patient's blood, which is then sent to the pathology department. This service lies at the heart of the hospitals' operations as it lets doctors know what patients are suffering from.

Lynn Wissett, director of clinical care and governance at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The debate the divisions are having is whether that is a service that can be provided by other members of staff. We haven't concluded these discussions.

"A number of nurses are already trained in what phlebotomists do. All medical staff are trained to take blood Yet the move was attacked by Cathy Williams, president of the National Association of Phlebotomists, who said: "This will lead to delays in the pathology lab. It would be better if the nurses concentrated on nursing."

She said in her experience hospital authorities did not train staff well enough to take blood accurately.

The Trust has to save £14m by April. This will see a fifth of East Lancashire's overnight beds axed to save £2.5m and more than 300 members of staff re-deployed.

Meanwhile, the Trust's chief executive, Jo Cubbon, is to face councillors' over what is proving to be the authority's most challenging year.

She will speak to members of Blackburn with Darwen Council's health and social care overview and scrutiny committee on Monday at Blackburn Town Hall at 6pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend.