SERVICES should NOT be stripped from West Cumberland Hospital - and that's according to the country's NHS top brass.

The message was given to local health chiefs in a private visit to the new hospital by a high-powered team - headed by NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens.

However Copeland MP Jamie Reed, who organised the hospital visit to help develop a recovery plan, claims that it met with an "unenthusiastic" response from bosses who, he says, "were told to go away and do it".

Speaking exclusively to The Whitehaven News, Mr Reed said: "Local clinicians and managers were told unequivocally that the services already provided by the West Cumberland Hospital must not be 'asset stripped from the new facility in favour of any other hospital'."

The MP also revealed that flexibilities could be given to the North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust - which runs the hospital - regarding certain government targets in order to "develop a viable acute hospital model for our community".

He said: "The offer was basically put to the Trust (Northumbria and North Cumbria) and the local medics who were present: Go away and produce a model of care that retains these vital services here and if doing that means that we have to allow flexibilities with national targets on patient numbers, tariff for operations, systems for training medics etc then we will let you do that. The response to this unique offer was unenthusiastic. Essentially they were told to go away and do it."

Mr Reed said there was a "real appreciation" from the top team at last Friday's visit - which also included Keith Willets, NHS England's director for urgent and emergency care and Mike Richards, chief executive of the Care Quality Commission - that rural services needed to be developed differently to urban areas. And he said the delegation was impressed with the new hospital.

The MP added: "Critically, we cannot allow any other agenda to interfere with this work - whether this is the acquisition of the Trust by Northumbria or any other corporate ambitions or interests."

West Cumberland Hospital and the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, are now part of a 'success regime' which is a partnership of all health organisations set up to tackle problems across the NHS in North Cumbria.

Success Regime chief, Sir Neil McKay, said on behalf of the local health organisations and NHS England: "We are absolutely committed to delivering high quality, accessible services for people across the area. The investment of £90 million into the new hospital at Whitehaven is an important part of our absolute commitment to ensure that West Cumbria has a state of the art vibrant facility and a commitment to secure hospital services. 

"Rural areas such as Cumbria have particular challenges in making sure services are accessible. We intend – as a priority – to explore the development and implementation of different models of care nearer to people’s homes."

He added: "I am committed to a process of intensive engagement with local people, clinicians, third and public sector bodies to produce an exciting service strategy for North Cumbria that will deliver sustainable services. This strategy will explain in detail how we intend to make sure that this wonderful new hospital in Whitehaven can provide a comprehensive range of services years to come."