North Cumbria redraws development plan

The loss of the North West Development Agency granted meant that North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust had to deliver the new hospital with £90m, instead of the planned £100m.

The trust’s newsletter for April and May 2011 concedes that “some compromises have had to be made, most notably that we are now having to retain some of our inpatient beds within the existing buildings”.

But, the letter adds, “we have continued to ensure that the total number of beds in the redeveloped hospital will be in line with the commitments made”.

However, redrawing the plans has allowed the trust to place all “family services” – comprising of maternity and children’s services in the main hospital building, largely in new accommodation, and enabling the old maternity unit to be demolished.

The trust plans to sign off the new drawings this month.

The redevelopment is one of the aims of the trust’s clinical strategy, which it has been working on with local GP commissioners. The trust plans to build a “hospital of choice” for elective patients at West Cumberland.