Kendal Town Council prepares to hold health bosses to account over vascular services
South Lakes MP Tim Farron has joined Kendal Town Councillor Matthew Severn to ask local people to come to the Town Council meeting next Monday to show their opposition to the plans to move vascular services to Preston, Blackburn and Carlisle.
The move will see inpatient vascular surgery stripped from the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Health bosses from NHS Lancashire the body behind the plans to move vascular services are holding one of their final 'consultations' with the public at the Kendal Town Council meeting on Monday 3rd December at 7:30, even though members of the public will not be allowed to even question them. Tim and Matthew are asking local residents to come along to the meeting to allow bosses to see the strength of local opposition to the plans.
Currently the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust are using internal NHS resolution procedures to try and overturn the decision. They have previously said that they will use legal action if needed to block the decision.
South Lakeland District councillor Heidi Halliday has also set up an e-petition on the government website which can be found here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38468
Heidi said: "My brother Jonathan passed away in 2008. He was awaiting a combined pancreas and kidney transplant due to complications arising from having insulin dependent diabetes over many years. I know how important vascular services are, as they played a big part in my brother's life during his years of dialysis and treatment. This is why I am so passionate about keeping these services as local as possible."
Commenting Tim said: "The plans to remove all vascular surgery from Morecambe Bay is extremely concerning and I am very worried about the risk this might pose to people across the south of Cumbria.
"With at least fifty per cent of all vascular surgery being for urgent and emergency conditions, ensuring short journey times could be the difference between a surgeon being able to save a patient's limbs or even their lives. By removing services from Lancaster, the Cumbria and North Lancashire NHS trusts would be putting the lives of those who live in more isolated communities, or in difficult geographical locations in unnecessary jeopardy.
"It is absolutely vital that we do all we can to protect our vascular services at Morecambe Bay and I will be doing everything I can to fight these plans."
Kendal Town Councillor and Health Campaigner Matt Severn added: "If these flawed proposals go through there will be bad repercussions for healthcare in our area. It's really important that people come along to support their town council in holding the decision makers to account and maybe changing their minds."