A world-renowned health leader visited Cumbria and hailed the county's NHS as "cutting edge" when it comes to improving the time patients spend in hospital.

Professor Brian Dolan came to Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary yesterday to talk about the importance of patients’ time in healthcare and hear about the work that’s happening across the county.

The health expert has started a number of campaigns that focus on making sure patients are not in hospital any longer than they need to be.

The first of these, #endPJparalysis, was launched in Cumbria earlier this year and aims to get patients up, dressed and moving to speed up their recovery.

Teams from the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) and North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust (NCUHT) have been working together to introduce changes.

Barbara Pinguey, specialist physiotherapist at the trust, said: “Staff from across the trusts have the ideas and enthusiasm to make a difference. By focussing on patients’ time and how we can make sure it’s not wasted, we can make changes that make a real difference.

"This isn’t about targets or paperwork, it’s about providing the best possible care – it’s why we come to work every day.”

The talk coincided with the launch of the next campaign, Red2Green, a national initiative to identify delays in care. It has already seen results in Penrith Hospital, reducing the average stay by nine days.

Prof Dolan said: "What I have loved about visiting Cumbria today is the passion the staff bring and the mutual respect they show each other between their professions and organisations.

"The staff have support from their leadership teams and there is a real focus on celebrating success.

"The two trusts are at the cutting edge of quality improvement and they understand the importance of time to their patients. I am truly blown away by what I have seen here."