Short-staffed ward to close

A ward for elderly patients at a Lancashire hospital is to close because of a shortage of staff.

Bosses at Lytham Hospital have decided to close the ward - which treats 17 patients - for six months because of the shortages.

The patients on the Talbot ward are unable to look after themselves, but now face being moved to hospitals in either Blackpool or Fleetwood.

On Tuesday relatives of the patients said they were very concerned about the prospect of the forced moves.

'Second home'

Maureen McCarthy from St. Anne's, whose husband Eddie has Alzheimer's disease and has been a patient at the ward for nearly 7 years, said it is a "very upsetting situation".

She told BBC Radio Lancashire: "[The ward] is like a second home for him and for me, because that's how I feel about the staff and the whole environment.

"I find it very upsetting that he is going to be moved out."

However, the Lancashire Care NHS Trust said that with current staffing levels proper care for patients is not possible.

Andy Roach, from the trust, said: "We have not taken this decision lightly and a lot of thought has gone in to how we resolve the current difficulties we're facing.

"The senior managers were unanimous that we couldn't not take any action as a result of the staffing shortages."