MP calls for apology over outpatient issue

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has called for an apology to all the local residents affected by the outpatients problems.

News has emerged that the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust has written to a number of people whose outpatient follow-up appointments were delayed to tell them that their care may have been affected.

The trust, which has faced a series of reviews by health regulators Monitor and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and has seen a drastic change in leadership over the past few months with the appointment at Sir David Henshaw as interim Chair of the Board and Eric Morton as the interim Chief Executive, had previously been criticised over its failure to follow up on outpatient appointments, with approximately 19,000 patients affected by the delays.

The problem with delays in outpatient follow-up appointments at the Trust was highlighted last year. Around 19,000 people had their outpatient appointment delayed and an additional 1,100 clinics were put on so they could be seen as soon as possible.

Tim is meeting Health Ministers on Thursday to talk about issues at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

Commenting, Tim said: "I would like to thank staff across all the hospitals for working so hard to clear the backlog and ensure patients are receiving the attention and treatment that they deserve. But I think the management need to take this opportunity to say sorry to the people who have been inconvenienced, concerned or affected by this.

"Now it is important that we continue to work with Monitor and the CQC to ensure that we get this trust back on track - providing the best possible care for all patients across the Morecambe Bay area."