Ward closure 'lack of consultation' concerns

The trust that runs Furness General Hospital wants to make changes to the structuring of wards

A hospital boss has admitted there were "lessons to learn" over a lack of consultation on plans that could see hospital wards shut.

Several wards are due to be repurposed or closed as part of a restructuring of beds at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, Cumbria.

Concerns were raised by Westmorland and Furness Council's health scrutiny committee and MP Michelle Scrogham over a lack of consultation on the plans.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), which runs the hospital, had said no consultation was needed because it was not reducing services.

Aaron Cummins, UHMBT's chief executive, told an emergency health scrutiny committee on Wednesday that plans had been shared with stakeholders, however, he added: "I think an opportunity like this is better to enable us to have a dialogue."

He also said a consultation with affected staff was taking place and feedback would "be taken into a decision-making process," the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Parliament discussion

Mr Cummins added that the proposed changes were to ensure patients had the "right care, in the right place, at the right time".

Committee chair councillor Dyan Jones said the plans had caused "concern" in the community.

Speaking the day after the meeting, Scrogham called on parliament to consider a debate on the NHS’s duty of listening to local people when making decisions.

She told the leader of the house, Lucy Powell, that "significant changes" were being proposed at the hospital "without any consultation at all".

Powell said that NHS England should be "listening carefully" to communities when changes were proposed.

Mr Cummins pledged to share the trust's final proposals with the council.