NURSES across East Lancashire are leaving the NHS for better salaries and a package of job perks with privately-owned nursing agencies.

Mairead Linton, director of Burnley-based Montague Nursing Agency, says she has more than 50 nurses across East Lancashire on her books.

And she claims the number quitting the NHS in favour of agency work is rising.

Mrs Linton, said: "We have seen an exodus of nurses who are disenchanted with the NHS and they say their reasons for leaving are lack of support, being under valued, poor pay and lack of flexibility in working hours.

"More and more nurses are wanting to work for a reputable agency.

"They do not feel that the NHS is providing them with the support that they need. If the NHS does not look at its weaknesses, it is going to lose thousands of nurses."

The agency supplies nurses to Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Burnley General, Pendle Community Hospital, Rossendale Hospital and Accrington Victoria Hospital.

One of the nurses on their books is Jean Holt, who left the NHS after 34 years.

Mrs Holt, 53, said: "I joined Burnley General's accident and emergency as a nurse cadet when I was just 16 and worked there as a sister until I left to join the agency a year ago.

"I was disillusioned with the health service, as I needed flexibility and support but these are two qualities which are not valued by the health service. In fact I have had more support here in the last 12 months than I had in the whole of my career with the NHS. People will train with the NHS because it is the best training in the world.

"But they get so disillusioned that they soon leave and take that expertise with them.

"It costs a fortune to train each nurse so this is causing a massive drain on resources, funding and on expertise."

At least 40,000 nursing staff quit the Health Service every year and last year this included 8,000 who went to work abroad.

NHS spending on agency nurses, stood at £628m in 2003, almost triple the amount in 1997.

General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Dr Beverly Malone, said: "While the RCN acknowledges the numbers of nurses has increased, my concern is that the foundations of nursing are built on sand, not stone.

"We have to ask why so many nurses feel unable to commit to the NHS and prefer to work on a temporary basis.

"Nurses tell us that the chance to choose which hours they work is a major factor."