Health campaigners say a report into high-profile errors at north Cumbria’s hospitals is further proof Carlisle couldn’t cope with more patients from the west.

An independent report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), leaked to the News & Star, warns that the controversial centralisation of some services – including emergency surgery – at the Cumberland Infirmary has added to its problems.

The report was carried out following six so-called “never events”, described as wholly preventable incidents, at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust.

They happened between July 2015 and February 2016 at both the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital and included an anaesthetic block being administered to the wrong leg before surgery, the wrong eye being injected, wrong tooth being extracted and a large swab accidentally left inside a wound after surgery.

The RCS visited both hospitals in July last year, at the request of trust bosses, to see what progress had been made.

It published its findings before Christmas.

Although there were no immediate patient safety concerns, it did warn that pressures were causing distractions for staff and could lead to future never events.

This included pressure caused by centralisation of services in Carlisle – strengthening the argument against plans to move more services, such as consultant-led maternity and higher-level paediatrics, from the West Cumberland Hospital.

The RCS report said: “Centralisation of services at the Cumberland Infirmary has presented significant operational challenges for senior management.

“Issues such as moving equipment and staff over large distances also necessitate a focus on day-to-day running of theatre services.

“The dedication of the staff was singularly impressive but there is a concern that the lack of proper management is undermining the long-term objectives of the trust.”

The We Need West Cumberland Hospital campaign group, which is fighting Success Regime plans to downgrade services in Whitehaven, has long argued that Carlisle is already too full to cope with hundreds more patients a year.

Annette Robson, from the group, claimed that this high-level report is further proof that their concerns about safety, dismissed by bosses, are correct.

“We have repeatedly said that centralisation of services, a ‘one size fits all’ health care policy, does not work in an area like Cumbria.


Annette Robson “It is good to see that the RCS, as well as many other organisations and people, recognises that moving services to Carlisle’s infirmary from West Cumberland Hospital is not safe,” she told the News & Star .

Success Regime bosses have repeatedly claimed that the Cumberland Infirmary will be able to cope with extra patients, and say that more routine operations will be moved to Whitehaven to help strike a balance.

They also want to remove 100 beds from the two hospitals by 2021, claiming more patients will be cared for in their own homes.

But the RCS report has fuelled concerns.

It said: “The review team also heard that although medium to low level elective surgery had been mostly transferred to the West Cumberland Hospital, this had not lifted pressures on beds at Cumberland infirmary.

“Indeed one interviewee said that the Cumberland Infirmary had in effect lost a number of beds at the same time as having to take all the emergency work from West Cumberland.

It added: “Theatre staff and managers are under immense pressure as they are constantly firefighting in relation to beds, staffing issues and equipment.

“Pressures which are placed on staff, most notably in respect of beds, staffing and equipment issues on the day of theatre, are causing significant distractions which could contribute to the occurrence of never events.”

Trust bosses have reassured patients that services are safe, stressing that an improvement plan is being implemented across both hospitals.