COMMUNITY leaders are celebrating successes at Furness General Hospital following a year of investment.

Over the past 12 months it has been announced that more than £1 million worth of improvements have been put into FGH to keep it at the heart of the community in Barrow.

A planned expansion to an acute medical unit and new Pre-Operative Assessment Department are among the new additions to the hospital planned for 2018-19.

This is on top of a £1 million upgrade to the X-ray department and major work to create a new resuscitation unit in the emergency department, which started in November.

The project is part of a £19m investment programme that University Hospital of Morecambe Bay Trust is carrying out across its hospitals during 2018-2019.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock praise the hospital and its maternity unit, saying: “Furness General is enormously important to our community and since its official opening by the queen in 1985 its staff have cared for countless local people.

“We cannot and should not forget the appalling episodes that surrounded the deaths of mothers and new-born babies at the old maternity unit, but we campaigned for improvements and in February last year the Morecambe Bay Trust sent out a signal that it is serious about overhauling conditions when a £12m maternity complex was unveiled with myself and Dr Bill Kirkcup performing the opening ceremony.

“Now services are under extreme pressure and staff are having to work ever harder to care for patients but we will defend our vital local hospital against the threat of cuts.”

Barrow health spokesman Councillor Michael Cassells said: "Furness General Hospital isn’t just a building it’s a service run by dedicated people. All year round staff at Furness General achieve great results with minimal resources.

"Key to keeping our community well are the partnerships between hospitals, GPs, local councils, voluntary organisations and the public.

"In the last year we have seen the launch of Barrow’s Integrated Care Community (ICC) with Multi Discipline Teams, which prioritises keeping us well at home. The same high standard of care that is available on wards can now be provided by community teams.

"In the near future we will see major improvements in the provision of Mental Health services as we have one trust delivering physical and mental health care."