EAST Lancashire's top children's doctor is to quit in protest at a controversial shake-up of hospital services.

Dr John Benson has resigned as director of paediatrics at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust over plans to cut and divide services between Blackburn and Burnley.

Dr Benson, who will continue to work as a consultant paediatrician at Royal Blackburn Hospital, took up the post in February and will finish on December 31.

The 61-year-old declined to comment but bosses confirmed his depature.

They would not comment on why he is to leave but sources said the resignation letters - submitted earlier this month - set out his reasons.

It is believed Dr Benson is unhappy about Trust plans, controversially approved in September, to separate key children's services.

The Blackburn hospital is to lose its neonatal intensive care unit for sick babies - a move which shocked staff.

The only East Lancashire unit will then be at Burnley General meaning thousands of Blackburn babies will be born there.

However, Blackburn will become the East Lancashire centre for paediatrics, for children who need overnight care.

Dr Benson is understood to believe strongly that the two services - for which he has responsibility - should not be separated because they work closely together.

This could make it difficult to manage emergencies between the two services, which takes up the vast majority of paediatric work.

It is thought he did not agree with the move to send the NICU unit to Burnley - and would have preferred paediatrics to join it rather than stay in Blackburn.

It is believed Dr Benson, who graduated from medical school in 1971, also was also unhappy with other aspects of the job and the future direction of the NHS.

The news comes after The Lancashire Telegraph this week revealed other baby care bosses had raised safety fears about the NICU move.

The Lancashire and South Cumbria neonatal intensive care network said it had "grave reservations" about the plan as the unit would not have vital support services. The networks links doctors to manage demand for incubators and share knowledge.

Under the shake-up Burnley will lose its ability to treat blue light A&E cases and dedicated adult intensive care beds Health bosses want it to be a "cold" hospital which treats pre-planned, non-emergency patients.

It is not thought that Dr Benson - who had no fixed term in the director post - has concerns about safety.

Val Bertenshaw, the trust's divisional director of women's, children's and diagnostic services, said: "I can confirm that Dr Benson has tendered his resignation as clinical operations director for paediatrics but will continue to carry out his role as a highly skilled and experienced paediatrician.

"Dr Benson has done an excellent job in carrying out this role alongside his demanding clinical responsibilities."