MP welcomes Morecambe Bay review move to go wherever to evidence does

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed comments by the Chair of the independent inquiry into failings at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay to Health Service Journal, sayingthat he wants the freedom to investigate all bodies involved - potentially including health regulators.

Dr Bill Kirkup's review has asked NHS England to be able to extend his terms of reference to cover a nine year period and to resist any "ringfence around what we could look at."

This is something that the families affected and local MP Tim Farron have called for. The review will start take evidence in September and will not produce its final report until "sometime next year" according to Dr Kirkup.

The review will produce a series of recommendations on the lessons learned for the trust and wider NHS to prevent similar failures.

Tim said: "This is very welcome news. At the time he was appointed Chair of the Morecambe Bay inquiry, I welcomed Bill Kirkup's appointment because I knew of his excellent work on the Hillsborough inquiry. Asking for the remit to be widened to allow him to be able to follow all the evidence is exactly what is needed. I called for this to happen because it's vital he has the power to go wherever he needs to find out exactly what happened.

"I have worked with the trust over the last few years and I have a seen the start of the turn around that patients need. This is down to the staff, doctors and nurses who go the extra mile for their patients. I hope that this review will help us end this long running saga and allow us to get justice for the families involved."