Barrow and Furness MP, Michelle Scrogham, has asked executives at University Hospital Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) to answer urgent questions that have been raised by local people about their plans to reconfigure wards at Furness General Hospital.

The local MP has been calling on the NHS to commit to proper public consultation after significant concerns have been raised about the proposals by clinicians, patients, and the public.

The questions are in relation to UHMBT’s plans to reconfigure bed provision at the hospital including closure of the Abbey View Unit and changes to Wards 1 (gynaecology), Wards 4 and 5 at FGH.

Michelle Scrogham MP said,

“There are considerable concerns locally about the impact of these changes and I am asking the Trust to provide answers to some of these fundamental questions which have been raised by the local people who rely on these services.

“If is important that the trust now pauses their plans whilst they undertake a full public consultation. It is vital that they are open with patients, the public, and staff about what the full impact of the changes will be.”

The 10 urgent questions that UHMBT must answer in relation to the changes are:

1. Will they confirm that under the proposals the Gynaecology Ward will no longer be single-sex but that there would instead be single-sex bays within a mixed ward?
2. Some patients in the Gynaecology Ward have resident babies which means that it must be locked at all times. How will this happen on a main surgical ward?
3. Some patients are in Ward 1 after miscarrying in their second trimester. It is important that those women who want to are able to spend time with their baby after delivery. How would this happen under the new arrangements?
4. The plan seems to suggest that there will be a significant reduction of single rooms. Will the trust confirm the number that would be lost and publish the assessment that has been made of any increased infection risk?
5. Many Abbey View patients require 24-hour nursing care overseen by doctors with lots requiring intensive ‘end of life care’ and others are post-op. Will the trust share their assessment of how this care can be provided safely in the community?
6. The plans are very reliant on those who are “Not Meeting the Medical Criteria to Reside” using the facility at Park View Gardens. How many extra beds in total there will be at Park View Gardens and what medical support and staffing is available there?
7. These changes sit alongside other cuts to services in recent months including the downgrading of the Critical Care Unit. Does the Trust therefore recognise the dangers of undergoing this bed reconfiguration at this time?
8. How would surgical beds be ring-fenced under the new proposals for example in the event of a threat of “12 hour breach” in A&E? Would surgical beds be protected in this instance?
9. What assessment has been made of the impact on these changes on the ongoing efforts to recruit consultants and other clinical staff in the future?
10. Will the Trust now commit to pausing these plans whilst a proper public consultation is undertaken?