"IF I had been brought in just to take services away from West Cumberland Hospital then I wouldn't have been interested - I am interested in keeping services there."

So says the man in charge of helping to come up with a plan for healthcare in West Cumbria.

Speaking exclusively to The Whitehaven News on Tuesday, Success Regime chairman, Sir Neil McKay, admitted: "We have to do something to create a greater sense of certainty for patients and those who work at West Cumberland Hospital."

As someone who started working in the NHS in 1970 and is a former chief operating officer for the Department of Health and a former Trust chief executive, Sir Neil said: "This is one of the most challenging assignments I have had to tackle, but we are not leaving a stone unturned in order to provide a good balance of services."

A public consultation document will be ready by April, he said, and within that there will be options to consider.

"There is genuine commitment on my behalf to come up with definitive options that will be sustainable," he said. "My commitment to you is a really compelling vision for the future that people can see and comment on. And I will make sure the outcome is implemented."

The Success Regime is committed to both a safe A&E and maternity service in Whitehaven, he said. The hospital's A&E consultants have threatened to resign over safety concerns.

"The biggest problem West Cumberland Hospital faces is the historic inability to recruit consultants and medical staff. We cannot change that overnight, especially when there's a national shortage. It is particularly difficult in more rural communities and we have to offer a really exciting vision for the future."

He said he has had a lot of detailed discussions with hospital staff and that further talks are to be held with A&E staff in the near future.

And on maternity services he said: "There will be a substantial maternity unit at West Cumberland Hospital. I am absolutely clear we have to find a solution to find a way of allowing mothers to have their babies in West Cumberland." 

He said medical and midwifery experts were helping them to come up with a service that ensures mothers and babies are well looked after in a safe environment.

"If something is unsafe then we simply won't pursue it. I am not prepared to contemplate putting something to the public which medical experts are concerned that it's unsafe."

He said options such as having advanced midwifery practitioners were being looked at.

Other progress being made, which would also help to attract consultants, said the health chief, includes:

* developing teams of staff working together such as clinicians, social workers and paediatric nurses to ensure people only go to hospital when they need to - something they hope will become a national example

* possibility of using helicopters as a supplement transport arrangement

* more widespread use of telemedicine (use of technology to provide clinical care at distance)

* links with Newcastle hospitals to provide cancer services

Sir Neil added: "We are desperately trying to come up with solutions that will offer West Cumberland Hospital a really vibrant and exciting future with good quality services for local people."