Tim Farron presents petition in Parliament calling for local maternity unit to be saved

On the floor of the House of Commons last night, South Lakes MP Tim Farron handed in a petition urging the Government to save Kendal’s Helme Chase Maternity Unit.

A decision is set to be taken this week on the future of maternity unit after birth services were temporarily suspended back in March due to staffing issues.

The petition calls on the new Government to give Morecambe Bay Trust “the money and resources to properly staff Helme Chase so we can save our local maternity ward from permanent closure and give the unit a new lease of life after years of underinvestment”.

Speaking in Parliament, Tim said: “I rise to present a petition on behalf of 2,200 of my constituents on, and indeed against, the temporary closure of Helme Chase Maternity Unit at Westmorland General Hospital.

“This is the third such temporary closure in five years of our maternity unit, and over the past 20 years we have seen a 90% reduction in the number of births at Helme Chase, due to the steady erosion of that vital and much loved unit.

“We are determined to reverse that and see a renewed, properly resourced and safe maternity unit for Westmorland’s mums and their babies.”