Farron meets with health minister to discuss radiotherapy centre

SouthLakes MP Tim Farron has met with Health Minister Norman Lamb MP in Westminster yesterday to keep the pressure up for a new radiotherapy centre in Kendal.

Norman agreed at the meeting that he would press NHS England to be supportive of the project.

In January, Tim secured an agreement from the Treasury that they will fund the £15 million project to bring a radiotherapy unit to Kendal, subject to the business case being approved. Last July, the NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said that they want to 'prioritise the resources necessary' for a cancer treatment unit in Kendal.

Tim has led a major campaign to bring this vital service to our area, building on his success of bringing chemotherapy to Westmorland General Hospital. Over 10,000 people have signed his petition to bring radiotherapy and 2,000 local residents accompanied him on a march through Kendal to call for the treatment to be offered locally.

In 2011, Tim was able to bring chemotherapy to the hospital and is now working to bring radiotherapy to have a full cancer treatment unit on site. The unit will be a satellite unit of the Rosemere Cancer centre of Preston but will be based in Kendal.

Tim said: "Bringing radiotherapy treatment to Westmorland General would complete the cancer unit we have worked so hard to create. In January I was able to secure an assurance that the £15 million funding was there to build the unit. This meeting was another step towards the green light being given to the project.

"I will not let up the pace until work begins on building the unit and local people can see the diggers on site building the centre.

"I've seen friends with cancer travel for treatment every day and seen the terrible toll it puts on families. Asking people to make that gruelling two-hour round trip for treatment is not acceptable and I am doing all I can to bring this vital treatment to Westmorland General."