The future of health services in north and west Cumbria was decided at a meeting today.

After months of campaigning from communities across the area, health chiefs delivered their verdict on controversial plans for maternity, children's and emergency services and whether or not to close community hospital beds in Maryport, Wigton and Alston.

NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body met at the Oval Centre in Salterbeck, Workington, to discuss the Healthcare for the Future proposals.

We were there, bringing you the panel's decisions as they made them.

1.09pm

Stephen Childs, chief executive of the CCG, is now summarising the meeting.

He said the next step is to produce a report for the county council's scrutiny board which sits on March 22.

He thanked everyone for attending and for respecting the process.

1.03pm

Many of the members of the public are now leaving the overspill room in the Oval Centre.

Following the agenda, there's around 20 minutes left of the meeting.

12.53pm

Members have voted to make permanent a number of changes to emergency services, trauma and orthopaedic services which were made last year.

This would see the majority of trauma and emergency orthopaedics transferred from Whitehaven to Carlisle.

The changes were brought in on "safety grounds" last year but a public consultation never took place.

Some emergency surgery and trauma care would take place in WCH, however, including keyhole gall bladder operations, surgical treatment of abscesses and an extra outpatient fracture clinic.

12.50pm

Chief executive of the North Cumbria Acute Hospitals University Trust Stephen Eames has been asked to join the panel to talk about emergency surgery, trauma and orthopaedic services.

12.48pm

Panel members have voted to approve the recommendation for stroke care, and back option 2, which will see a hyper-acute stroke unit at Carlisle.

As part of the unit, a seven-day transient ischaemic attack service will be considered. Recruitment of stroke physicians will also continue.

12.45pm

Peter Rooney, director of operations, said: "The much bigger factor is in preventing strokes in the first place."

12.42pm

CCG medical director David Rogers said there is no "golden hour" for stroke patients - it's three to four hours from first symptoms starting, he says.

12.37pm

The new hyper-acute stroke unit, based at the Cumberland Infirmary, would be staffed by specialists seven days a week.

Stephen Singleton, Success Regime medical director, said: "At the moment we have got two services on two sites trying as hard as they can to do what they can."

He added that "nobody believes" two seven-day services for stroke patients can be delivered at both hospitals.

12.30pm

The panel is being recommended to approve option 2 - all stroke cases dealt with in a new specialist hyper-acute stroke unit in Carlisle.

Only rehabilitation would be provided in Whitehaven.

All emergencies taken direct to Carlisle. They are discussing the options, before taking a vote shortly.

12.28pm

Approved option 1 - which sees 24/7 A&E retained in both Carlisle and Whitehaven, similar to current model but WCH intensive care smaller.

The governing body will "strengthen efforts" to recruit.

Discussing hyper-acute stroke services now.

12.26pm

Discussing emergency and acute services.

12.19pm

Just before the vote took place, Sue Stevens from Healthwatch said she was "concerned" the option included no beds.

The panel has voted in favour to approve option 1.

They've agreed in principle to bed closures in Maryport, Wigton and Alston, but will work with those communities on alternative plans.

12.13pm

Vote on community hospitals now.

12.03pm

Sue Stevens, of Healthwatch, said: "We're very pleased to see the work going on in Maryport, Wigton and Alston.

"It's good to see the conversations are now taking place."

She asked why the petition, carried out in Maryport which had thousands of signatures, was not included in the papers.

Les Hanley said: "I feel that we are being asked to make a decision today on something which is evolving.

"We are looking at Integrated Care Communities, but we don't know how they're going to work."

He asked that if the work taking place with various projects in each of the areas came up with a solution, could the decision made today, be reversed.

"If we voted today, have we lost them (beds)?" He added.

11.48am

They're discussing community hospitals now.

The panel is recommended to back option one, which would result in beds at Alston, Wigton, Maryport closing, with 104 beds consolidated across the remaining sites - Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Workington, Penrith, Brampton and Keswick.

The governing body is also requested to endorse the continuing work with Maryport, Alston and Wigton, as it anticipated this would lead to further proposals within the next 12 months, as part of plans to implement integrated Care Communities.

11.32am

Five-minute break now.

11.31am

Children's services: Members voted to approve the recommendations for option 1.

There will be short stay paediatric ward at the West Cumberland with some overnight stays for monitoring.

All children with more serious conditions will be transferred to Carlisle. Only lower risk cared for in Whitehaven.

The governing body approved that if option 1 was not sustainable, option 2 may need to be implemented.

This would be only a short stay paediatric ward at the West Cumberland Hospital with no overnight beds.

11.26am

Members have voted in favour to approve option 1 for 12 months.

So consultant-led maternity will remain for 12 months, but if not viable, will be transferred to Carlisle with just a midwife-led unit at the West Cumberland Hospital.

Only one member, Les Hanley voted against.

11.24am

They decide to put in place a midwife-led unit at West Cumberland Hospital and audit its performance over 12 months.

11.20am

Vote on maternity begins.

11.13am

Panel member Les Hanley said: "From the outset I have always wanted to retain full services at West Cumberland Hospital.

"I'm not convinced 12 months is long enough to judge the success properly. The fact we are running in parallel an option should this not succeed, I don't think it is attractive to people."

He added that there had to be "absolute confidence" that it could succeed, to which he gained a round of applause from the audience.

Ruth Gildert said: "Yes we should go forward and try and provide option 1 if possible. But if it doesn't work I really do think option 2 is a viable option, provided we are able to build the confidence of our clinical staff. "It may be right that 12 months isn't enough time, but when is.

"I don't think we can say forever, there has to be a stop point. The worst thing we could do is say yes, we can do option 1, then in 18 months say we can't."

10.58am

Jon Rush, sitting on the panel, said: "I think what we have done or what we're proposing with this option is that we have taken on board the views - we are also users of the service.

"I think the idea that we have listened is a good one." Mr Rush said he didn't think the public had confidence in the trust, as the consultation results showed that, but he hopes this could now change.

10.50am

They're discussing maternity now. Geoff Joliffe, member of the CCG governing body said: "I really welcome a change in the maternity recommendation.

"Twelve months would not start from today, I hope the provider and commissioners can really work together and that it's not just a paper exercise and in 12 months they say it's failed."

10.25am

The recommendations put forward for children's services', is to go with Option 1. Short-stay paediatric ward at the West Cumberland, with some overnight stays for monitoring. More serious cases would go to Carlisle. This will be discussed after maternity.

10.15am

Papers have been handed out, outlining the recommendations.

They are pushing for Option 1, retaining consultant-led maternity at West Cumberland Hospital, alongside midwife-led units, to be "tested" over a 12 month period.

If it's proven to not be deliverable or sustainable, then option 2, a midwife-led only unit at Whitehaven, with consultant-led at Carlisle, would be implemented.

The governing body is due to make a decision on this recommendation at 10.35am.

10.10am

The recommendations are that maternity is to get 12 months to tackle issues - but if it doesn't work it will be centralised.

10am

The meeting has began. Hugh Reeves, clinical chair, is welcoming people. He said he's "very aware of the importance of the decisions." Also said much discussions have taken place as well as an enormous amount of preparation.

9.45am

Workington mum Andrea Murray is here with her seven-month-old son, Benjamin. Andrea has attended many of the Success Regime meetings since Benjamin was born, she said: "I'm hoping for a positive decision, as we all do."

9.40am

There's representatives here from numerous campaign groups: We Need West Cumberland Hospital; League of Friends; West Cumbria Voice Group; Save Our Beds and Cumbria Health Campaigns Together.

Also in the meeting are midwives and Copeland mayor Mike Starkie.

9.15am

Campaigners are beginning to arrive outside the Oval Centre.

A handful of protestors from Maryport's Save Our Beds campaign, who face losing all the beds at the town's community hospital, are chatting at the front door waiting for to go in. The group's Bill Barnes said: "I'm expecting nothing, but hoping for something."