NEW NHS boss Graham Burgess has made a resolution for 2016 to find out more about what residents of Blackburn with Darwen want from their health service.

The former Blackburn with Darwen Council chief executive last year returned to the borough as chairman of its Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which over sees the work of family doctors and designs, orders and pays for many key functions.

Mr Burgess plans to run a major event in the New Year to discuss how best to to reconfigure NHS services in the borough to meet patients, carers and families needs when budgets are under pressure.

Mr Burgess promised to target this consultation on those residents of Blackburn with Darwen whose voices are rarely heard and whose needs are too often ignored.

Mr Burgess said: “I have settled well into the role of chair and enjoying being back in Blackburn.

"We have a great tradition of engagement in the borough and that is still an ethos that is very strong.

"I am looking to forward to continuing that work and getting out and about and speaking to patients and groups about services and their experiences.

"I am a planning a major engagement event in the New Year where I will be speaking to as many people as possible, especially those we don’t usually engage with to understand their views.

"They know the services best as they are in contact with them on a regular basis so it is important that we are listening and acting on what they are telling us.”

The CCG's chief clinical officer Christ Clayton said the biggest pressures for facing the local NHS in 2016 is strains on budgets, staff and increasing demands.

Dr Clayton said: “Challenges in the New Year include the pressures facing the whole NHS in terms of finances, workforce and increasing demand.

"We’re aware of the pressures facing social care and continue to work closely with colleagues in the local authority and as part of the Pennine Lancashire area to support these challenges.

"We are also encouraging people to use services appropriately and self care where they can to ease the demands on already pressured emergency departments.

"Many people attend urgent services when it is unnecessary and they could be better treated and a lot quicker elsewhere, which can put extra demands on already pressured emergency departments."