Coronary care unit facing closure

Plans to close a coronary care unit and claw back a £6.5m overspend at Cumbria's hospitals have been unveiled.

The plans include halting the admittance of medical emergencies to Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal.

Patients from south Cumbria would instead be sent to Lancaster or Barrow hospitals which are better equipped.

The public has until 13 September to comment on plans by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (UHMB).

Westmorland General Hospital currently provides a range of services including elective surgery, a minor injuries service, a midwifery-led maternity unit and coronary care facilities.

But hospital chiefs said that the hospital did not have the staff or equipment to provide the full range of services and said transferring facilities would save money.

Huge increases

The plans are proving controversial with local people because it would mean the closure of the coronary care unit which currently takes patients with less severe symptoms.

The consultation document states: "Consultants believe it is time to consider whether we should in future, initially admit all, or the majority of, acute medical patients from South Lakes to one of our two district general hospitals rather than Westmorland Hospital.

"We have seen huge increases in funding locally and nationally in the NHS and UHMB currently spends nearly £4m a week on hospital services.

"Unfortunately UHMB is overspending - £6.5m in the last financial year - and needs to do something about it."

UHMB and the primary care trust are responsible for healthcare for 300,000 people in the Morecambe Bay area, which consists of Lancaster, Morecambe, Barrow, Kendal and South Lakes.