A vital service which was pulled out of west Cumbria’s hospital looks set to return – although some campaigners have questioned the trust’s commitment.

Breast care clinicians at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust are continuing to develop plans to restart the one stop clinic at West Cumberland Hospital (WCH) in Whitehaven.

It says it can’t currently commit to a firm date, but insists it is making positive progress through international recruitment which it hopes will support the clinic in the long term.

Christine Wharrier, who is a member of We Need West Cumberland Hospital Group, said: “We can only hope these plans come to fruition but it seems never-ending for women from west. Do we have to fight for everything after the event?”

Dr Rod Harpin, medical director at NCIC confirmed the update in a special meeting of the West Cumbria Community Forum on Tuesday.

He said: “Whilst we are not able to pinpoint a confirmed date for when the clinic will restart as we had hoped, we have been working hard behind the scenes in developing plans that will help us to do this.

“We have recently had some positive developments and success in recruiting to posts that will support us with a sustainable, long-term plan for the clinic.

“One of our recruits will be joining us in November and another is expected early next year. We are also supporting and developing a current staff member with further training to assist us.

“In the short term, we continue to search for locum or permanent consultants. We are also continually looking at ways to deliver more services locally and we are holding an innovative pilot clinic at West Cumberland Hospital this weekend.

“Although this is not the full one stop service, it will prevent a number of women from needing to travel to Carlisle.

“We appreciate that not having a restart date is disappointing for our local communities and women in west Cumbria but we want to assure you we are working on this as a priority to make sure we can safely restart the clinic as soon as we are able to.”

The one stop breast clinic, along with many of the trust’s other outpatient services, had to change the way it delivered appointments in line with national guidance due to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.

Alongside this, and subsequent reduction in an already small radiologist workforce, plans on how to safely deliver and restart the clinic needed to be developed meaning the clinic was put on hold.

Lynne Davies, also a member of We Need West Cumberland Hospital Group, said: “I question the commitment of the trust to reinstate the service when after many letters and meetings we are only at this stage.

“It has been pointed out that, with regard to Covid, that WCH is safer than the Cumberland Infirmary (CIC).”

Lesley Carruthers, retired deputy director of nursing and lead nurse for the new build and redevelopment of WCH, said: “We need radiologists to travel to WCH to do the One Stop Clinic so getting the staff appointments is good, but are they radiologists?

“The radiographers at WCH should be given the opportunity to do further training, as they do at CIC currently, so the expanded skills would be able to do the One Stop Clinics - and being west-based would ensure stability and sustainability.”

NCIC has assured women they will continue to receive the breast clinics they need for their care.

Annette Robson of the We Need West Cumberland Hospital Group said: "We are not surprised to hear that yet again the start date for the One Stop Breast Clinic has been put back. If the members of The We Need West Cumberland Hospital Group along with concerned staff and local groups who raised huge amounts of money for equipment for the clinic had not been so vocal about it being transferred to Carlisle, we believe that the service would have been permanently moved there before now.

"Using Covid as an excuse for staff from Carlisle Infirmary not to travel to West Cumberland Hospital is not acceptable. Nor is the statement regarding the reduction in staff in an already small work force at WCH. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that staff were retiring.

"In terms of Covid, WCH is a safer hospital for women to go to, it has more modern equipment and the women of west Cumbria need this important service. It is the Trust’s responsibility to ensure that they receive it and we will not rest until the One Stop Clinic is fully functioning at our hospital."