Workington MP Sue Hayman has written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt urging him to look overseas to fill shortfalls in the recruitment of doctors in Cumbria.

In her letters, Mrs Hayman said the Success Regime 's use of recruitment problems to justify moving services from the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven to Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary but there was a feeling the uncertainty about local services was putting people off applying for jobs, amid concern they would be short term.

The regime is reviewing healthcare across north, east and West Cumbria.

Mrs Hayman said: “The Westlakes Medical Campus near Whitehaven is an exciting prospect, allowing us to train medical staff locally, however this will only come to fruition in the long-term, due to the amount of time taken to train clinicians.

"What urgent and necessary action is being taken in the short-term in order to recruit the adequate number of staff to deliver all services safely in Whitehaven?

"There is evidence that sufficient people are interested in applying for jobs in West Cumbria, if they are given sufficient support from human resources, and incentives to move. Is there anything that can be done by Government in order to strengthen the human resources provision in the NHS in Cumbria?

“The trust must be encouraged to allow any locum consultant who wishes to move onto a substantive permanent post to do so, with any relevant training and support package provided if necessary. Will the government ensure that consultants at the West Cumberland Hospital are being treated in the same way as those at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle?"

Mrs Hayman urged Mr Hunt to look overseas to fill vacancies for paediatricians, amid a national chronic shortage.

She added: “I implore you to ensure that recruitment of additional paediatric doctors is encouraged, through a range of innovative means, and that any clinicians from overseas do not fall foul of our immigration laws.

“The successes in recruitment that we have had in Cumbria recently need to be recognised and publicised widely, particularly the efforts of the local hospital league of friends in recruiting nursing staff.

"Given the right support from national NHS bodies, and recognition that the solutions for healthcare systems such as that in Cumbria are very different from London, as well as additional investment, we will be able to solve many of the problems.

“I would be grateful for a response outlining what action the Government intends to take to ensure that the major recruitment issues facing the NHS in Cumbria are resolved as soon as possible.”