CAMPAIGNERS are calling for an explanation after a Government health minister made an official trip to Cumbria, but failed to visit the West Cumberland Hospital despite repeated calls.

David Mowat, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, first visited Barrow and even made it as far as Millom – in the same Copeland constituency as the Whitehaven hospital.

Copeland MP Jamie Reed, who was not informed of Tuesday’s visit to his own constituency, labelled it “an insult to the community”.

He has been lobbying Government ministers for months to visit the Whitehaven hospital, which is subject to a controversial review which could force women to travel to Carlisle to give birth.

Those fighting to protect services, including consultant-led maternity, accused Mr Mowat of snubbing the area. Siobhan Gearing, of the We Need West Cumberland Hospital campaign group, said: “This shows that nobody cares enough about west Cumbria and its residents.”

Mr Mowat spent a full day in Cumbria, visiting both Furness General Hospital and Millom community hospital to see how south Cumbria’s Better Care Together plan is improving care. North and west Cumbria are subject to a different initiative, due to its debt-stricken health services being deemed as failing by the Government. It instead sent in its Success Regime to draw up new plans to transform care and balance the books.

There is widespread concern about this process, particularly the regime’s preferred options for maternity.

Mr Reed has written to Mr Mowat expressing his disappointment and officially reported him for breaching parliamentary protocol by not informing the local MP he was visiting the area.

He said: “David Mowat has demonstrated a shocking disregard for our community. I have sent multiple letters, parliamentary questions and personal requests to the Secretary of State for Health and his ministers, calling upon them to visit the West Cumberland Hospital. Despite travelling to Copeland, Mr Mowat chose not to. That is an insult to our community.”

The Department of Health said that due to limited time ministers cannot visit every service in every area. Another health minister, Philip Dunne, has pledged to visit but no date has been set.