UNION chiefs protesting against plans to close Calderstones Hospital are calling on the public to support them at a rally in Whalley.

Unison Calderstones healthcare branch are holding the protest in the carpark of the Whalley Arms in King Street, Whalley, from 12.30pm on Saturday.

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Branch secretary Chris Chamley said NHS England’s announcement to shut down the state-of-the-art hospital was “scandalous” and could have “devastating consequences” for patients and the public.

Mersey Care NHS Trust will take over the Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which will cease to exist from next July and Calderstones Hospital will be closed within three years.

And Mr Chamley said morale amongst the 1,250 staff at the complex is at rock bottom and they are holding the rally to try and get some answers from NHS England.

Mr Chamley said: “Staff are unsure of their future. Are they going to be thrown on the scrapheap? And what will happen to the service users? Are they going to the provider who puts in the lowest bid? And if that is the case will they receive the same level of care?

“We have so many questions that need answering.”

The 223-bed Calderstones unit cares for people with learning disabilities, and forensic care for people who have been through the criminal justice system where it has been deemed inappropriate to send them to prison.

Mr Chamley, who also questioned whether local authorities would be able to take on the responsibility of caring for patients given the current austerity measures, said: “The plan to move service users out into the community with straight forward learning disabilities is a good idea.

“However, service users who are under a forensic mental health section will be difficult to find adequate community care for.

“Service users under a forensic section have a range of offending behaviours including murder, manslaughter, rape and sexual offences committed against adults or children.

“Moving these individuals into the community could have devastating consequences.”

Mr Chamley said the union has written to all Lancashire MPs asking for support and has requested a meeting with Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans.

He said they were hoping to have 200 people at the rally and had invited members of Lancashire TUC, Blackburn TUC and other Unison health care branches in the NHS.

NHS England maintain that patients and the public will not be at risk and that patients will only be transferred out of Calderstones when there is appropriate provision available.

It added there would remain a need for low and medium secure provision in the North West, but the intention is that these will be provided by the new enlarged Mersey Care or other providers.