'When is our hospital reopening?' protesters ask
BBCProtesters are calling on health bosses to reopen a community hospital's inpatient ward, which has been temporarily closed.
A protest took place earlier calling for Longridge Community Hospital's "recovery" ward - which was shut last year after what bosses called fire safety issues - to be reopened and for no other services to be removed from the hospital.
The Longridge Ward was used by inpatients not yet ready to go home but has been temporarily relocated to Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, about 15 miles (about 24km) away.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust says it is "exploring what is possible in line with the fire safety concerns" and "this will take some time".
Despite the ward closure, the hospital is still providing services like coronary care, podiatry and phlebotomy, but one of the organisers of the protest had concerns this might not last.
Julie Traynor said some other services had already gone: "There were district nurses, social workers, a dressing clinic, a diabetic eye clinic, speech and language therapy, and family planning clinic. I think they are just trying to close it on the quiet."
She also said the replacement ward at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital was unsuitable for people who relied on public transport. "It's four buses, two there and two back, which takes four hours, we just want our hospital."
In the latest update from the hospital trust, it said: "The NHS is exploring what is possible in line with the fire safety concerns which were previously identified, any potential timescales for such and also the possible cost impact, while considering best value for taxpayers' money and that patients have access to the services they need in a safe and appropriate location - this will take some time."
It also said it understood "the depth of feeling about the facility in the local community, its impact and the pride local people take in this hospital, as well as those who work there".
"But we must reiterate that the safety of our patients and colleagues will always be our utmost priority."
