MP launches campaign against plans to reduce the out of hours service at Westmorland General Hospital

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has this afternoon launched a petition which calls for plans to be dropped which would significantly reduce the out of hours service at Westmorland General Hospital.

Currently, Kendal's Urgent Treatment Centre closes at 11pm with mobile doctors provided by Cumbria Health on Call (CHOC) operating from a base at the hospital until 8am.

However, CHOC are now consulting on removing the out of hours service from Westmorland General Hospital during the hours of 2am-8am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Instead, the out-of-hours doctors will be based at the Furness General Hospital in Barrow and Penrith & Eden Community Hospital.

This will mean significantly increased travel times for doctors to treat patients in the South Lakes.

Tim said: "This reduction in our local health service is completely unacceptable and must be stopped.

"It is not acceptable to put vulnerable people, including those receiving palliative care, families caring for loved ones with dementia and patients with learning difficulties, in a position where they will have to wait much longer to receive care - especially those in our most rural areas.

"Please make your voice heard your support by signing our petition today."

Tim's petition can be signed online here.