Farron comments on "damning" CQC report - bring services to 'Good' WGH

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has today called on NHS bosses to undertake a 'serious and urgent turnaround', following a damning CQC report which recommended that the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) be placed in 'special measures'. Tim has re-iterated his call for services to be brought to Westmorland General Hospital, the only hospital rated as 'Good' by inspectors.

The trust has been rated as 'inadequate', following an inspection in February, under the new inspection regime introduced by the Care Quality Commission to provide a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals than ever before. As a result of the inspection the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has recommended that UHMBT should be placed into special measures.

Inspectors discovered that care in some services, such as maternity and A&E, had improved since previous inspections. However in other areas care had still not been addressed effectively, despite previous concerns being raised by the CQC. Additionally inspectors found that the trust lacked a clear vision for its staff. There were three distinct cultures across the hospital sites. The lack of clarity about the trust's future left staff feeling disengaged and remote from the executive team and the board.

Tim has pointed out that local Westmorland General Hospital was given a green rating and classified as 'good'. Tim has cited this as further evidence for his campaign to protect services at our local hospital.

Tim said: "As we suspected UHMBT has been deemed inadequate by the CQC. I don't think that is a fair reflection of the staff, nurses and doctors who I meet when I go round the wards. These people go above and beyond, day after day for local people and I want to pay tribute to their service. This report does not do justice to them, but it should be a massive wake up call for the trust's management. I want the trust's managers to act on this damning report and turn round our trust - local residents deserve much better than this."

"Westmorland General is the only hospital which has been rated as good. It would therefore be lunacy to take away any services and indeed lunacy not to move some services from failing hospitals to the one good one in the trust.