EXTRA pressure on hospital services in Barrow must be considered before moves to downgrade care at the West Cumberland Hospital are allowed to go ahead, it has been claimed.

That is the view of Barrow Borough Council's health and wellbeing chief, Councillor Michael Cassells, following a crucial meeting on the matter on Wednesday.

Bosses within the Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group have ruled care for acutely sick children, as well as anyone who has suffered a stroke, will no longer be available at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven as part of the money saving move, with patients instead transferred 40 miles to Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary.

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They have also resolved to allow Whitehaven hospital's consultant-led maternity unit just 12 months to solve its long-running recruitment problems before it is closed without further consultation next year.

A midwife-led unit will be developed to replace it in the event of closure.

And the number of community hospital beds available in Maryport, Alston and Wigton, in the north of the county, will be reduced, though a more detailed examination of alternatives available to those communities is now to take place.

But Cllr Cassells, who represents Barrow Borough Council on the Cumbria County Council's health and scrutiny committee, said no-one has properly assessed the potential knock on effect upon Furness General Hospital of patients from Cumbria's west coast travelling to access its services.

He told the Evening Mail: "No-one has looked carefully at the impact upon the wider community of reshuffling services at the West Cumberland Hospital.

"People living south of Whitehaven, in Millom and its surrounding communities, may well look to Barrow for hospital services once these changes go ahead.

"It's really important that we know FGH would be able to cope with additional numbers.

"Finding the hospital is too overstretched after the changes are allowed to go ahead is too late," Cllr Cassells added.

"The same goes for the community hospital in Millom. We need to know what the wider implications are."

Members of CCC's health scrutiny committee voted to refer the decision on maternity services to Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, over concerns for the safety of mothers and babies should consultant-led care be withdrawn next year.

A final decision on the matter now rests in Mr Hunt's hands.

Cllr Cassells said: "These changes are cost driven. The CCG is under pressure to save money.

"They should have done a robust and thorough analysis of the available capacity within hospital services in Barrow done before now.

"It should be scrutinised at a national level."

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