The proposed closure of wards at Furness General Hospital has been met with 'deep concerns' from councillors in the area.
All councillors in the Furness area have co-signed a letter to the board of the Morecambe Bay Health Trust and its CEO to request immediate intervention into the proposed reduction of services.
Several wards - including Abbey View, which is used for palliative care - are due to be repurposed or closed as part of a restructuring of beds at the hospital.
Read more: Full plan for Furness General ward shake-up revealed | The Mail
The letter said: "Abbey View, in particular, offers an invaluable service to patients and their families - many of our residents have relied on its compassionate care in difficult times.
"The potential loss of this ward would have a profound impact on families who depend on the specialised care and support it provides locally."
Read more: Tim Farron MP alarm over Furness Hospital ward closure | The Mail
Councillors also expressed their concern at the fact that consultation with the public over the changes has been 'limited'.
"We feel that residents and patients in Furness, who stand to be most affected, deserve full transparency and active engagement in any decisions impacting the availability and accessibility of their essential healthcare services," it said.
"Such decisions, if implemented without adequate consultation, erode trust between UHMBT and the community it serves."
Read more: Government urged to help reverse change to critical at FGH | The Mail
Tributes were also made to the 'hard work and dedication' of the healthcare professionals, who deserve 'certainty' and support through these 'challenging times'.
The councillors added that they appreciated the efforts of Michelle Scrogham - MP for Barrow and Furness - and that they would 'collaborate' with her office going forward.
The MP confirmed on Wednesday that she had asked the Trust to attend a public meeting so that they could explain the changes and 'hear the concerns of local people'.
The open letter outlined three proposals to UHMBT:
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Suspend any planned service reductions at FGH, including any decisions affecting Abbey View, pending a comprehensive community wide consultation.
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Engage in meaningful consultation with local stakeholders, including patients, families, council representatives, and the broader Furness community, to understand and address concerns.
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Ensure that Westmorland and Furness Council is represented on the UHMBT Governing Board, to facilitate constructive dialogue and representation of the community’s needs at the decision-making level.
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Staff at FGH were told of the full shake-up in October with Aaron Cummins - the chief executive of the trust - explaining the decisions.
He said: "As part of our work to both improve services and the experience of our patients and colleagues, our Care Groups have been reviewing how our hospitals are set up and what changes we could make to ensure patients receive the best possible care in a more consistent way.
"This review looked at how our beds are configured across our three main hospitals 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.
"They also strongly support local and national NHS plans for patients to receive care at home or closer to home where appropriate with support from nurses, therapists, social carers, volunteers and doctors in the community."
The councillors who signed the letter were: Niyal Phillips; Ben Shirley; Andy Coles; Anita Husband; Matt Brereton; Anne Burns; Beverly Morgan; Ben Cooper; Bill McEwan; David Cassidy; Dave Taylor; Derek Brook; Frank Cassidy; Helen Irving; Jackie Drake; Jane Murphy; Judy Filmore; Kevin Hamilton; Les Hall; Roy Worthington; Therese Assouad, Tony Callister; and Trevor Biggins.
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