Final meeting over hospitals row

Marchers braved the pouring rain to protest in Kendal town centre

Protesters opposed to plans to cut services at a Cumbrian hospital are being given one last chance to voice their concerns.

Patients with acute conditions would no longer be sent to Kendal's Westmorland General Hospital, under new proposals.

Instead they would be taken to one of two general hospitals in Lancaster or Barrow, which are better equipped, according to Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

The final public consultation is being held in Kendal on Thursday afternoon.

Protest organisers said around 5,000 people took to the streets of the town on Saturday to oppose the plans.

The campaigners claim the move is a cost-cutting measure, which will mean longer travelling times for patients with potentially life-threatening illnesses.

Better equipment

The NHS Trust said it cannot afford to better equip Westmorland Hospital and that it would be safer for patients to be taken to the hospitals in Lancaster or Barrow.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, has called on the government to provide funding.

He said: "The reality of the situation is that if you have a heart attack you need a hospital which is close enough and good enough to treat your condition.

"I'm convinced that this community could comfortably raise the money needed to buy better equipment.

"But I want the government to fund our trust properly. We're funded as if we have one-and-a-half hospitals when we have three. If we lose medical emergency admissions here at Kendal we will not get them back."

Thursday's public consultation meeting is being held at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre.