The latest Conservative leaflet to come fluttering through our letterboxes pledges that only the Conservatives can stop the closure of Burnley’s Children Ward.

The NHS plans to transfer the Children’s Ward at Burnley to Blackburn and there is understandable disquiet about this and the inconvenience for people in Burnley and Pendle.

At the same time, a new Women’s and New Born Centre, costing £32 million, will open at Burnley General in October. I’ve blogged about this before.

I am waiting to hear from the Chief Executive of the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Diane Whittingham, for details of any clinicians who oppose the transfer. So far, I haven’t heard of any but, if they are out there, we all want to hear from them. Pronto.

The patients’ voice, Lancashire LINk, should be speaking out and voicing any concerns, but it won’t. We won’t hear a peep. It is totally useless.

Andrew Stephenson, the Conservative candidate in Pendle, says that an incoming Conservative Government would immediately stop any closure and initiate a review commissioned by the area’s GPs.

This follows reports of an earlier promise from Andrew Lansley, the Conservative Health spokesman, to the National Director of Emergency and Urgent Care, Professor Matthew Cooke, that local GPs would be able to decide if Burnley General Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre should be upgraded to a full blown blue light A&E.

Despite all this bold talk, there is no commitment in the Conservative manifesto to re-instate A&Es that have been downgraded to UCCs.

Professor Cooke’s review, which was due out on 31 March, is now caught up in the NHS election purdah, and will now be published after the General election.

Stephenson’s leaflet is full of talk of cuts. Yet the NHS in East Lancashire has seen year on year increases in its budget.

East Lancashire Primary Care Trust, which commissions health services in the area, received £629.3 million in 2009-10 and will get £663.9 million in 2010-11. This is an increase over the two years of £67.4 million, or 11.3 per cent. in cash terms.