EAST Lancashire’s hospitals have invested £1.9million in additional nursing staff, said director of finance Jonathan Wood.

He was responding to a question relating to the costs of last year’s Keogh Review, which highlighted several major problems at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Hospitals.

The review made dozens of recommendations, and persuaded the government to place the hospitals in special measures.

Mr Wood said: “The trust has made a number of investments in staffing over a number of years.

“Importantly, while the Keogh Review has not driven additional recurrent cost, it has supported us in better understanding where our pressure points have been.

“For instance, we have invested around £1.9million in additional nursing staff for our wards.

“This was not as a result of the Keogh Review, but an annual assessment of benchmarking for nursing numbers.

“One of the main responses to the Keogh Review was our commitment to listen to, and involve, our staff and patients.

“This can often be about doing things differently, rather than doing new things.”