A group fighting to save Brampton hospital has offered to stump up the cash to fund an extra bed and help recruit staff.

The town’s League of Friends group has put forward a proposal to health bosses in an attempt to save the hospital from cuts.

The so-called Success Regime is currently conducting a major review of all health services across north Cumbria in a bid to tackle spiralling debts and other long-standing problems.

Controversial options revealed to date include closing community hospital beds or centralising them on fewer sites.

League of Friends groups at hospitals in Brampton, Wigton, Penrith, Alston, Keswick and Maryport have mounted strong opposition and are coming up with alternative proposals.

In Brampton, the group has collected almost 2,500 signatures on paper and online petitions, while hundreds of residents turned out to a meeting last month against bed closures.

Now members have come up with a counter proposal, which was submitted to the Success Regime this month.

In it the Friends of Brampton Community Hospital say they would be willing to commit a “substantial sum” of money to help put their ideas into practice.

One of the arguments for closing or centralising beds is that bosses have long been struggling to recruit enough nurses to meet national safe staffing ratios of one nurse to eight patients, meaning some beds are currently standing closed due to shortages.

Brampton currently has 15 beds, so the Friends suggest increasing that number to 16 and reopening all the beds. Their offer is to pay to commission that extra bed, and help fund a high-profile recruitment campaign to fill vacant posts.

Alongside local GPs they also have also come up with ideas as to how the hospital could better be used to help keep people in the local community out of hospital.

In the proposal, John Holland, group chairman, said: “We see this as a springboard from which a raft of community services could be operated from the hospital.”

Ideas put forward include: paediatric consultant clinic; elderly medicine clinic; memory clinic and dementia drop-in; day hospice service; osteoporosis assessment and prevention classes; ultrasound services; 24-hour ECG and blood pressure tests; diabetes assessment; a falls group; physiotherapy and weight loss surgeries.

Mr Holland added: “These proposals could take the strain off the Cumberland Infirmary and the increased beds would make a significant contribution to reducing bed blocking patients in Carlisle, which we believe are running at some 40 per day. We do not make the suggestions in some vague sentimental wish for preservation of an historic building. If we genuinely believed the community hospital to be a white elephant we would say so. Our suggestions are based on common sense, and a wish to maintain and improve the health of our local people in a cost effective way.”

Resident Sandra Quinn, of Talkin, praised the proposal and said she hopes the Success Regime will now listen.

“The submission is very well composed with specific suggestions for the maintenance of services that benefit both local people and the wider northern Cumbrian community,” she said. “It also enjoys the backing of our highly respected medical practice in Brampton. With the further offer of actual financial input and ongoing involvement from the Friends it can only be hoped that the Success Regime will heed the will and determination of this community. Let’s hope for a fair and equally considered response.”

The Success Regime had been due to publish firm proposals at the beginning of the month but has now delayed it until the end of the summer holidays.

This will be followed by a formal consultation period, which will include public meetings across the area.