THE claims made by a senior doctor at East Lancashire’s hospitals will worry patients.

Most of what the doctor said about the changes that have been made at the Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital has already been raised.

Other people have complained about lost patient notes and raised concerns about the ambulance journey time between Burnley and Blackburn since the changes were made last November.

But this is the first time that a senior member of staff at the hospitals has broken ranks to give their opinion about the reorganisation of services.

Their status will mean that their revelations are given extra credibility by the public, who will be very concerned about what they are reading.

The people of East Lancashire will want to know if patients at the two hospitals are being given a reduced level of care as a result of the changes.

The hospital trust says that it is meeting targets for cleanliness and is striving to ensure that no notes are lost.

It also said that it was disappointed that the doctor had not approached them directly about their concerns.

One of the trust’s new chief executive Marie Burnham’s first tasks will be to restore public confidence in the reorganised services.

The doctor’s observations should be taken seriously.