A KEY decision on whether a consultant-led maternity unit will remain open in south Cumbria in the future has been delayed. 

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A feasibility study on maternity provision throughout the county was expected to be published this month. 

It will determine whether it is viable for Cumbria to keep four consultant-led maternity units - at Furness General Hospital, in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, the West Cumberland Hospital, in Whitehaven and the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. 

If this preferred arrangement is not considered to be sustainable, two of the units - FGH, in Dalton Lane, and the West Cumberland Infirmary - could close with midwife-led care available on site only. 

But experts within the Cumbria's Clinical Commissioning Group - the body charged with buying in health services for the county - now say a final version of the report is likely to be released in late April or May. 

Eleanor Hodgson, director for children and families within the Cumbria Clinical Comissioning Group, said: "There has been a huge amount of work done with clinical teams to help develop a sustainable way of working into the future. 

"This work has been accelerated in the north of the county to fit in with the timetable for the Success Regime. 

"We have been very pleased with the way the clinical teams at Morecambe Bay have engaged with the process and their commitment to developing a service fit to face future challenges." 

A review of maternity provision in Cumbria got under way in March last year following a report from experts within the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. 

They put forward four possible models of care for mothers-to-be in the county - with option 1a - keeping consultant-led services at all four hospitals - considered the best option. 

But they added that if that model was not viable, option 2 - to close the doors on consultant-led care at Barrow and Whitehaven - must be considered instead. 

A progress report delivered to members of Cumbria County Council's health scrutiny board on the matter this month links the delays to the roll out of the Success Regime in north Cumbria as well as ongoing issues with the recruitment of clinical staff. 

It states: "The major challenge is to find suitable staffing models - this is very much linked to national workforce issues and recruitment and retention of medical staff particularly in north Cumbria. 

"The continued provision of a consultant-led unit is dependent on robust clinical teams in obstetrics, paediatrics, anaesthetics and midwifery. 

"All areas have been looking at new ways to staff rotas and attract and keep staff."