Hospital bosses have insisted that more services are returning to west Cumbria after campaigners raised concerns.

It is now three years since urgent trauma services were withdrawn from Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital on safety grounds.

Initially the move, which saw all but lower level planned surgery taking place in Carlisle, was said to be temporary, while issues were resolved.

However, following the high-profile Success Regime consultation, this has now been made permanent.

Yet as part of that agreement, bosses promised to return some more minor trauma procedures to Whitehaven.

Last week the We Need West Cumberland Hospital campaign group wrote to Stephen Eames, chief executive at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, to ask for reassurance that this would be the case - saying trust needed to be restored.

Members said they felt that the reality was a “token service”, with surgery for broken bones and dislocated joints only taking place once a week.

They felt these operations needed to be taking place every other day to make it sustainable, and accused bosses of “setting it up to fail”.

But Mr Eames has since replied, setting out the full list of surgical services now being provided at Whitehaven, including some recent developments.

He added: “With regard to orthopedic trauma, you are correct that we run one theatre list per week. However we now regularly add urgent trauma cases to our existing elective orthopedic theatre lists on other days, as demand dictates.

“This arrangement efficiently matches current levels of demand for non-major trauma in west Cumbria.”

Campaigners have since responded a second time, labelling it “inadequate” and questioning whether it does meet local need.


David MacKay David MacKay, a consultant orthopedic surgeon at the trust, has now stepped in to defend the current position, saying they are doing as much as is both “safe and sustainable” at the West Cumberland Hospital.

He oversaw the original move to Carlisle, saying at the time the two hospitals were operating separate trauma services, but difficulties attracting staff had affected the quality of those services and there were concerns.

He explained how the current system works, saying patients still attend A&E in Whitehaven as normal. Most of the more serious trauma cases are then transferred to Carlisle, or Newcastle in more major situations.

“It depends on the extent of the injury. When patients are admitted to Carlisle, they have the operation and are transferred back to Whitehaven within a few days for rehabilitation, unless they are well enough to go home,” he said.

Those who need longer stays are usually more elderly patients who have sustained hip fractures or other more serious breaks.

Others who sustain more minor fractures, such as broken wrists or fingers, do not always need admitted and can go home until surgery can be arranged in Whitehaven, as part of a dedicated weekly day case trauma list or as an extra.

Those deemed higher risk would still go to the Cumberland Infirmary, as would young children. In some cases, patients choose to go to Carlisle if they can be seen more quickly - although there is more chance of it being cancelled.

The numbers:

Number of planned, inpatient orthopedic procedures carried out in each hospital
West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven
March 2015 – 45 cases
March 2016 – 60 cases
March 2017 – 93 cases

Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle
March 2015 – 47 cases
March 2016 – 58 cases
March 2017 – 60 cases

Mr Mackay believes they have got the balance right to meet existing demand within staffing and quality constraints, and says feedback from patients has been positive overall, as have outcomes.

He stressed that when it comes to planned orthopedic surgery, about 70 per cent of all the procedures in the trust are now carried out at Whitehaven - with an extra theatre soon to open so they can expand further.

“It’s a good unit and has benefits for patients. In Carlisle, lists are often interrupted by emergencies or because of bed availability,” he said.

But Mr Mackay said he does not see more complex trauma returning to Whitehaven any time soon. “It’s unrealistic. It’s got to be done by people who know what they’re doing. The previous service was failing.

“Was it unsafe? No. But we were concerned it wasn’t as good as it could be. I think things have improved. I know there is some dispute, but from what I see I don’t think there can be any doubt.

“Could we do more trauma at Whitehaven? Anything is possible, but there has got to be the staff and resources. It wouldn’t be any time soon. This is the way trauma services are going nationally. No other trust in the country is doing it across two sites. It would be expensive too. We can’t waste money duplicating services.”