DOCTORS will meet patients to explain plans that could radically re-shape East Lancashire's hospital services, it has been revealed.

Clinicians considering options that could see critical care beds concentrated at one of the area's hospital's will attend public meetings to say which they think is the best, the region's top hospital boss has said. Five options are being looked at and one will be put forward for public consultation in the New Year.

Two of the options involve moving intensive care beds from two sites on to one, which has prompted fears that Burnley General Hospital will lose out to the new £113million Queen's Park super hospital in Blackburn.

Another option is to keep some facilities at both sites.

Chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Jo Cubbon, said public meetings would be held during a formal public consultation on the plans, to last a minimum of 12 weeks.

She told a council meeting: "I think it is really important that clinicians explain and take questions from the public about why they think this is the best model of care."

The other two options are do nothing or build a new hospital in East Lancashire.

But Mrs Cubbon told Blackburn with Darwen Council's health overview and scrutiny committee the new hospital option was not economically viable. She said: "It is one we had to put on the table almost to take off the table."