HEALTH watchdogs have pledged to keep a close eye on the performance of ambulance services in East Lancashire after a controversial hosptial shake up.

Campaigners from the North West Ambulance Service's public and patient information (PPI) forum are concerned at the effects on patients of longer ambulance journeys.

From November 1 all blue-light emergencies in East Lancashire will be directed towards the Royal Blackburn Hospital as the accident and emergency department at Burnley General Hospital is downgraded to an urgent care centre.

Last month a controversial study, published by the Emergency Medicine Journal, claimed that the percentage chances of seriously-ill patients surviving ambulance journeys decreased according to the distance travelled.

Ambulance chiefs disputed their findings, saying that the recovery process began when paramedics and technicians arrived on the scene of an emergency.

But the PPI watchdog has still pledged to ensure that ambulances are properly equipped and staffed to cope with an ever-changing NHS.

Salle Dare, forum spokesman, said: "We are looking at journey times for patients as new hospital services are introduced and other services are closed, "And we will be monitoring the performance of the ambulance trust and reporting our findings back to them."

The Lancashire Telegraph also revealed recently how four out of 10 ambulances in the region have come to the end of their normal use and need to be replaced.

But Lancashire will receive no new ambulances for the current financial year, unlike Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

However, there will be three extra ambulance vehicles, transferred from elsewhere, and 30 additional ambulance staff have been recruited as part of the Meeting Patients Needs programme changes across East Lancashire.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We welcome the support of the patient and public involvement forum . For many years we have had a close working partnership with the forum.

"We always welcome any feedback and constructive criticism the PPIF may offer, in order to ensure that our services continually develop and modernise for the benefit of our patients."