BARROW'S MP has asked for an 'urgent meeting' after intensive care at Furness General was limited by hospital bosses.

The ICU is only allowing those into critical care in levels one and two, with the most serious cases being sent to Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The decision came as a result of staff shortages at the hospital, with recent recruitment drives proving not to be as successful as initially hoped.

In a letter to Aaron Cummins, the Chief Executive of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT), Michelle Scrogham sought answers for the interim changes.

She said: "Whilst I am under no illusions that this decision reflects the damage caused by 14 years of neglect of the NHS, clearly this is an extremely concerning decision with a significant impact on my constituents and I am disappointed not to have been given more notice of the changes.

"I am seeking immediate assurances that an assessment has been made of the impact on patient safety and an update on the measures that have been put in place to ensure that patients from Barrow and Furness requiring the most critical care will not be exposed to potentially life-threatening delays as they are transferred to Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

"I also ask that you share your plan for re-introducing level three critical care at FGH with me, and that we establish regular meetings so that I can be kept updated on progress."

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Patients who fall into Level Three require advanced respiratory support alone or basic respiratory support together with the support of at least two organ systems at an advanced level.

This level includes all complex patients requiring support for multi-organ failure.

The trust said it had actively tried to resolve the medical staffing issues through consultant medical cover from the wider Critical Care Network and reviewing the potential to use consultants from the RLI to provide cross-cover.

They added that the current measures would be 'continually reviewed' until a solution is found.