HOSPITAL campaigners have strongly criticised a decision to cut back the number of buses running between Royal Blackburn and Burnley General.

Patients, visitors and staff using the free shuttle service will now have to wait up to an hour and a quarter between buses, depending on the time of day.

Health chiefs said the decision had been taken because the service was under-used at ‘off-peak’ times and that the number of journeys at peak times would remain the same.

The shuttle bus was introduced in 2007, ahead of the decision to close Burnley A&E and transfer blue light services to Royal Blackburn Hospital in November that year.

Part of the Meeting Patient’s Needs programme, it was originally agreed that the buses would make the 14-mile journey every 20 minutes, running from 8.15am to 8.45pm, Monday to Friday.

Now the shuttle buses run seven days a week, including bank holidays, picking up and dropping off passengers from four stops.

Under the new timetable, buses will start at 6.15am, with a last service setting off at 9.30pm.

Early in the morning, the gap will be 20 to 35 minutes, but there will be an hour and a quarter wait from 9am to 10.15am.

Buses will then run hourly until 1.15pm, with the next service setting off at 2.30pm.

The gap is 15 minutes or half an hour until 6.15pm, when it again becomes an hour or an hour and a quarter.

Gordon Birtwistle, MP for Burnley and Padiham, said: “It is scandalous.

"It is absolutely outrageous that they have done this without any discussions with people.

“They have taken the accident and emergency department, the children’s ward and other services to Blackburn, and then they have the audacity to say we are now making it more difficult for you to get there.”

Former Burnley MP Peter Pike said: “This was guaranteed when they merged the sites and if anything it needs to be extended, not cut back.”

Sue Chapman, of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “A review into the usage of the shuttle bus service was carried out earlier this year and showed a number of journeys carried out in mid-morning and mid-afternoon were transporting a small number of passengers.

“A review into the usage of the shuttle bus service was carried out earlier this year and showed that a number of journeys carried out in mid-morning and mid-afternoon were transporting only a very small number of passengers.

“The trust, following consultation with union representatives and patient groups, has taken the decision to reduce the number of off-peak journeys, but the number of journeys at peak times will remain the same.

“We provide the shuttle bus, at a cost of almost £500,000 per year, to help patients, staff and visitors travel free between our sites.

“We feel it is important to ensure that this service is as efficient and responsive as possible, to avoid unnecessary spending of money which could go towards improvements in patient care.”