NHS bosses have responded to claims a step-down unit in Furness General Hospital will reduce beds and then close next year. 

Hospital staff have contacted The Mail after they said a meeting with senior members of the Morecambe Bay Trust took place earlier this week about the future of Abbey View, a unit that relieves A&E and also 'manages end-of-life care.'

A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said: "The service that we provide is a service that is going to be gone. The bed-blocking situation is going to get worse."

They said the 20-bed unit would be reduced to eight beds and then be wound down by August. 

Aaron Cummins, chief executive of Morecambe Bay Trust, which manages Furness General, said there had been a review of how the trust's hospitals are set up and what changes could be made to ensure patients 'receive the best possible care in a more consistent way.'

The trust also runs the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Westmorland General in Kendal. 

He did not confirm that his team had spoken to staff about the potential impact of future plans on Abbey View this week.

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"This review looked at how our beds are configured across the three main hospital sites and showed that there are opportunities for us to improve how we use them. These proposed changes will help us ensure our patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right unit; and reduce the time they have to stay in hospital," he added. 

The staff member who contacted The Mail claimed that the closure of the unit would increase the chance of a patient dying in a bay rather than a dignified death with family in a cubicle because they could not be moved from A&E. 

"None of the changes we propose will mean that we stop providing services for patients," Mr Cummins added, "but may change where they are provided within the hospitals and the community.

"As per Trust policy, it is important that we are able to consult with colleagues directly about any proposed changes to the way they work to give them the opportunity to shape future plans. This process will start next week and we will be able to share more details once that is completed in the coming weeks."