NHS Cumbria has submitted a planning application for a community hospital in Cockermouth.

Funding for the £11m hospital is expected to come through the NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) programme.

Planners at Allerdale borough council will now consider the application for a new hospital to replace the town’s existing Isel Road community facility, which is over 100 years old and played a key role in recovery efforts following the floods of November 2009.

A business case for the hospital will also be submitted to the NHS Cumbria board and NHS North West for approval later this year.

The new hospital, which will combine GP and community hospital services on one site, is expected to be completed in 2012, if planning permission and approval is granted.

NHS Cumbria’s clinical director and local GP Dr John Howarth said: “This is an important step for healthcare in Cockermouth and the surrounding area.

“GPs, community nurses and other healthcare staff are already working together to provide improved care for patients both inside and outside the hospital,” he said.

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