Tim Farron calls for health bosses to restore funding for GPs to treat minor injuries

South Lakes MP Tim Farron is calling on health bosses to reverse their decision to withdraw funding for GP surgeries to assess and treat minor injuries.

From April 1, the Locally Enhanced Service (LES) is no longer allowed for the assessment and treatment of minor injuries at GP practices across the Morecambe Bay region.

The LES has been in use for over 20 years, but a major review by the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has concluded that funding can be used elsewhere.

Across 2023 and 2024, surgeries around Morecambe Bay conducted at least 1,221 minor injury assessments.

Tim has written to the Chief Executive of Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB calling for the funding to be restored.

Tim also raised the issue with health ministers in Parliament yesterday.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Tim said: “In rural communities like mine, our issues are very often about the distances that we have to travel in order to get any kind of healthcare, but particularly to reach hospitals. 

“In Morecambe Bay, which covers three quarters of my constituency population-wise, we are funded as if we have one hospital, but have to have three. 

“One way that we have got around that is to have funding for GP surgeries to provide minor injury care in places like Grange, Ambleside, Hawkshead and beyond - yet, as of 1st April, our local integrated care board has cancelled that funding. 

“There was a total of 1,221 minor injury assessments last year; they are now pushed on to the urgent treatment centre at Kendal, potentially overloading that excellent centre, but also causing huge harm to people who live in those rural and dispersed places, and undermining the funding model for those GP surgeries and putting them at risk. 

“I would love it if the Minister had words with the ICB to challenge it on this.”