PATIENTS could be put at risk by a new rota system for physiotherapists at East Lancashire’s hospitals, according to a whistleblower.

An anonymous letter, sent to the Lancashire Telegraph by a member of staff, said the new rota means several junior staff with ‘little or no experience’ of respiratory physiotherapy have been placed on an on-call rota to cover the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

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This means ‘very vulnerable and ill patients’, including children, who require urgent respiratory physiotherapy could be seen by inexperienced staff at times when no senior physiotherapists are available, the letter claimed .

The changes are due to efforts to increase weekend staffing levels at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The letter added: “Up until recently junior physiotherapists would do a five-month rotation on the Intensive Care Unit under senior supervision before being placed on the on-call rota. If this did not happen there used to be seven half days of patient-facing training.

“This was replaced with a one day, theory only, training day with no interaction.

“Even the senior physiotherapists who gave the one-day training felt this was dangerously inadequate.”

Gill Rose, divisional general manager for diagnostic and clinical support division at ELHT, said: “Physiotherapists are now available on-site to treat respiratory patients between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm following the need to increase essential physiotherapy services to inpatients over weekends and bank holidays.

“All staff members involved in providing this care are fully degree-qualified and registered physiotherapists who have completed three years of training including clinical placements.

“All those currently involved have also been in qualified clinical practice for at least eight months.

“The new service, which is being carefully evaluated, has been developed with full staff involvement.

“All staff providing this service have been given additional training and have participated in a tailored training session.”

As reported last week, there has been a reduction in the trust’s weekend ‘death rate’ in the last year, partly as a result of the trust increasing the number of doctors available at weekends.