I am one of the nurses at the hospital and can truthfully tell you that staff levels are dangerous. Most of us are exhausted and moral cannot get any lower. Cost cutting was put before patient care a long time ago. We are asked to fill in an Audit every day on staffing levels. Those staffing levels are the new cut levels that the trust have set. These do not match up with the number of staff safely set country wide. For example a 6 bed coronary care unit should have 3 members of qualified staff on duty. The trust however has decided only 2 is safe (this was set by managers who have no cardiac experience what so ever). The audit each day of course now states that areas are fully staffed. Shocking.

errr.... Jamie? Why is the Cumberland infirmary in so much debt? Could it be something to do with the PFI 'Mortgage' that costs an absolute fortune every year? Or the increase in 'managers' since Labour started the privatisation of the NHS in it's last spell in Government?

Nothing to do with Lansley`s pension, what about "how much does the hospital lease cost"
how much do the consultants cost, how much do doctors charge with their private work when they charge a fortune to the n.h.s, their own employer, to many people just blame the government but many hospitals waste so much money, how much for a light bulb change? lets have some answers on costs and money spent.

is it not about time the management was shown the door. and start at the very top. also no moneys paid. bar what is due in wages.if it was a store. they would have been sacked after the first week i have had 2 episodes with them. and years later am still in great pain.and it is not down to the doctors .all said it is one big shambles. and god help and good luck to all who enter.

I've been living in Stafford for 4 years, the hospital here has a bad rep where people now think that you aint coming out alive if you go in, even anything minor. This has meant no staff want to work there, with various other reasons of working conditions etc. (sounds familiar to the Cumbria situation). This has resulted in the closure of A&E overnight for the last 6 months for "safety" with promises it would open again March just gone but no signs of it opening yet. This is putting more lives at risk and an even worse rep.

I really hope this doesn't happen in Cumbria. The NHS is not a business, focus on patient care than meeting silly targets.

Situation normnal then! The boffins at the top will say that all is under control and the staff are giving 'best possible care'. Wouldn't it be nice if they would come out and tell the truth for once and say that they have had to cut back too far for the sake of Andrew Lansley's pension.