VASCULAR SERVICES IN SOUTH CUMBRIA

Motion Text

That this House is deeply concerned about the proposed reconfiguration of vascular surgery in Cumbria and Lancashire which concentrates services in the north of the region in Carlisle and in the south of the region in both Blackburn and Preston, leaving the vast geographical areas in between in south Cumbria and north Lancashire dangerously uncovered; notes that there was no consultation on this decision; recognises that vascular services underpin a range of other disciplines and that its withdrawal from the Morecambe Bay area will therefore damage other services; acknowledges the fact that vascular services are vital in responding to medical emergencies ranging from heart attacks to road traffic trauma, and that travel times to the new centres from parts of south Cumbria will be over 90 minutes thus constituting a real threat to patient safety; and calls on the commissioning bodies to urgently intervene in order to ensure that vascular services are provided at a hospital within the Morecambe Bay area.