COPELAND MP Jamie Reed is urging Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene in the row over services at Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital.

The former shadow health secretary is calling for both Mrs May and the Health Secretary to personally visit west Cumbria so they can investigate the issue first-hand, and he repeated a plea that the Whitehaven hospital must not be “asset stripped”.

His intervention came after the Government backed Success Regime – brought in to improve hospital services – produced a report saying that clinicians have concluded a consultant-led [maternity] unit is not sustainable at the West Cumberland Hospital.

But Mr Reed, who has long called for top-level intervention, said that midwives last week issued a letter warning that the removal of 24-hour consultant led maternity services would be unsafe.

“The group suggested babies and mothers could die if consultant-led cover is lost.

Mr Reed said: “Our brave local midwives have spoken and they have my full support. The determination of our community is incorrigible: we will never accept nor allow the removal of 24-hour consultant led services from the West Cumberland Hospital.

“My community and I are absolutely clear that Government must intervene immediately to provide assurances about our 24-hour consultant led services, just as the Health Secretary provided assurances to maternity services in North Devon, which is also subject to the Success Regime.

“Here in west Cumbria, we have been let down time and time again by the Health Secretary. This cannot go on.

“The new Prime Minister must accept my invitation to see for herself the unique challenges that we face, and she must intervene to provide us with the assurances and resources that we need to overcome those challenges.”

The MP concludes his letter with the words: “Please intervene, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that consultant led services, including emergency, maternity, pediatric, and other services, are retained and improved at the West Cumberland Hospital.”