STAFF and patients at a Blackburn mental health unit - closed amid serious care concerns - are being told that it will not reopen for at least another four months.

Health bosses at Lancashire Care NHS Trust moved swiftly to close the Woodlea Unit, on Park Lee Road, back in March amid "significant concerns" about patient care.

Trust bosses have consistently refused to confirm or deny comment on disciplinary procedures or staff issues in relation to Woodlea.

But they have defended the length of their inquiry, saying it was important to resolve important patient safety issues.

Seven months on the trust has also revealed that the unit, which was refurbished earlier this year, will be shut until at least next February.

Officials commissioned a study in April which showed that the chances of converting the building into a 'modern facility' were severely restricted because of its layout.

The unit, located just a few yards away from East Lancashire Hospice, was also thought to not have a 'therapeutic environment' for aiding patients' recovery.

Staff were transferred from Woodlea to other units and patients were relocated to either Pendleview or Hillview units on the former Queens Park Hospital site.

The latter are both acute wards and Woodlea usually dealt with overnight cases A Lancashire Care spokesman said: "The trust takes allegations relating to patient safety very seriously and has a duty to take whatever action it feels appropriate under these circumstances.

"The trust regrets any anxiety or distress to patients and members of staff during the temporary closure but sometimes it is not until a full investigation is completed that the extent of the issues can be resolved or identified.

"It is now very important that the long-term future of the unit is now considered by commissioners and the trust. It would not be appropriate to reopen the unit until this has been resolved, as this would only cause further disruption."

The spokesman said that on the basis of the April report, it had now been decided, in consultation with East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen primary care trusts, to extend the closure period.

"We have agreed that Woodlea should remain temporarily closed from August 1, for at least a further six months.

"During this time the commissioners will work with Lancashire Care Trust to develop a Lancashire rehabilitation strategy," added the spokesman.