Pressure is growing on a key Cumbrian health committee to intervene and stop controversial changes going ahead.

It follows a decision by local NHS leaders to downgrade paediatrics at the West Cumberland Hospital and give consultant-led maternity just one year to recruit, or else it will be moved to Carlisle.

Stroke services are also being centralised at the Cumberland infirmary, while cottage hospital beds face closure.

The county's Health Scrutiny Committee - made up of county and district councillors - has the power to "call in" that decision and refer it to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt if it feels the planned changes are not in the best interests of the Cumbrian public.

Ahead of its meeting tomorrow, the We Need West Cumberland Hospital campaign group has written to Neil Hughes, chairman of the scrutiny committee, calling on members to use those powers and challenge the decisions taken by NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The letter says: "The people of west Cumbria are appealing to the scrutiny committee to stop the proposed changes to services.

"From the beginning of the Success Regime consultation we have said we need a full 24/7 consultant-led maternity unit, full 24/7 children’s care and an acute A&E department to attract and retain staff and to provide the services we need and deserve. The disastrous decisions taken by the CCG’s governing body makes this a virtually impossible task.

"Furthermore, downgrading of children’s services, will have a devastating and potentially fatal effect on children and their families."

The group has also submitted a confidential file of 21 real life patient stories, written by the parents of sick west Cumbrian children, as evidence.