MP hails cross party campaign that has won hospitals £25 million funding

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that major funding has been secured for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) after a cross-party campaign.

This afternoon it was announced that Monitor, the Regulator for Foundation Trusts, has given the green light to an application by UHMBT for a variation in the amount they are paid for some of the care they provide.

The price modification, which is likely to be in the region of £20m to £25m a year, will apply to six areas of treatments:

• Accident and Emergency
• Surgery
• Trauma and Orthopaedics
• Paediatrics
• Women's Health
• Non-elective medical conditions

This good news for the trust which recently reported a £22.5 million deficit.

Tim said: "I have worked with MPs across all parties over the last few years to make the case, together, that our trust needs extra funding to be able to deal with its deficit which arises from the extra costs of providing services in such a rural area. It seems that today's announcement shows that our work has been successful.

"I will keep working and making the case for more funding and services at Westmorland General and across Morecambe Bay."