HEALTH unions say lives could be put at risk in Hampshire if controversial plans to shut down Southampton's blood testing centre are given the go ahead.

Amicus has pledged to ballot its members for strike action and plans to lobby both MPs and local councillors over the shake-up if the plans are given the green light.

Southampton's centre, which tests for the HIV aids virus, as well as Hepatitis B and C and performs screening services for rare antibodies, is just one of 14 centres in cities across the country which may face closure under the planned shake-up.

Health bosses are hoping to shut down the regional centres and replace them with a giant new centre in Bristol and unnamed locations in the south-east and the north. However, unions say that the cutbacks are being made without meaningful consultation with either the trade unions or the local community.

Amicus' national officer for health Kevin Coyne said: "This mirrors exactly what is wrong with the NHS reform agenda.

"Modernisation is being rushed through without engagement and consultation with either staff or local communities.

"Furthermore, hundreds of technical and scientific staff jobs are being put at risk and these highly skilled jobs cannot just be recruited or relocated to different parts of the country. The NHS and the nation has invested millions in training these staff and now proposes to just dispose of them.

"The geographical gap in service will also mean delays for the vital testing of blood for many thousands of people, putting lives at risk and making the service dependent upon a charity - air ambulances, in emergencies such as motorways cannot be relied upon."

A spokeswoman for the NHS Blood Service said talks had been held with the unions for a number of years about planned changes which will include moving the processing and testing of blood.

The changes were being planned partly because some facilities were in need of being upgraded and partly because there was less demand for blood.

The spokeswoman said it was too early to say how many jobs could be lost but the plan will take five years and the service hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies.