MP makes formal bid for chemotherapy unit

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has this week written to the board of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust formally asking them to bring chemotherapy services to the Westmorland General Hospital as part of the wider bid for a cancer treatment centre.

The bid is support by the Hospitals Trust, NHS Cumbria, and local cancer charities. In addition, over 2,000 local residents have signed Mr Farron's petition in support of the bid.

Mr Farron's letter to the trust board asked them to start the process of setting up a cancer treatment centre by bringing chemotherapy services to the Westmorland General within the coming months. In his letter, Mr Farron said: "As we bid for the opening of a new fully functioning cancer treatment centre at Kendal with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, on-site oncology support and wider cancer support services, there is nothing to stop us making an early investment in bringing chemotherapy to the Westmorland General in the very near future.

"We hope of course that a Cancer Treatment Unit might be up and running within two years, but you rightly speculated that it would be possible to bring chemotherapy and other support services to the Westmorland General much sooner".

Speaking today, Mr Farron said: "I am working with the hospitals trust to make sure that local people get the health provision they deserve. The trust and I know that regular trips for patients to Carlisle or Preston for cancer treatment are not only stressful, they are arduous and painful.

"A cancer treatment centre in Kendal would save lives. It would be a huge benefit to cancer patients and their families. It would also be a massive boost for the Westmorland General. My wife, Rosie, and I both lost our mums to cancer. We know how important it is for good quality treatment to be available near to home."