Campaigners are outraged after multiple patients experienced serious harm as a result of transfer failings between hospitals – despite the group raising these concerns for years.

The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) has been instructed to make immediate improvements, after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised concerns over patient waiting times, ambulance handover times and staff shortages within the trust.

Carried out in August, the health care watchdog has labelled the trust as “requires improvement”, after the findings caused alarm.

In its report, CQC stated: “We had particular concerns about the inter-hospital transfer policy between West Cumberland Hospital and CIC [Cumberland Infirmary], as there was no emphasis on the receiving consultant ensuring there was a bed for a patient before accepting the patient and the patient being sent.

“This had resulted in some patients arriving at CIC and having to wait in an ambulance or ED for long periods of time until a bed was found for them.

“It had happened on more than one occasion and led to the patients coming to serious harm.”

And while a spokesperson for the trust has reassured patients improvements have been made since the inspection, members of the We Need West Cumberland Hospital Group are furious.

The group has campaigned for years to prevent vital services from moving to Cumberland Infirmary, with concern for patients' travel time and welfare being at the forefront of their fight.

Group co-founder, Dr. Mahesh Dhebar, said: "It was a mistake to transfer all emergency care to Carlisle Infirmary from West Cumberland Hospital in the first place.

"Decision makers were warned about it as CIC is not equipped to deal with all emergencies from west Cumbria.

"Cumbria is rural with a poor road infrastructure and poor public transport.

"Unless NCIC NHS Trust looks into emergency care for the population of west Cumbria, they are unlikely to succeed in their review and inspection – the CQC is there to protect the patients' interests and ensure equity of access is provided."

Lynne Davies, also of the We Need West Cumberland Hospital Group, added: "It must be six years since we started highlighting the transfer problems, yet I can’t remember one member of management admitting it was an issue or risk for patients.

"Until a chief executive comes from Cumbria who cares about the area and patients this will be the norm.

"We have had too many managers who have come from afar who care for nothing other than their own personal progression regardless of the consequences of their actions."

Annette Robson, group co-founder, branded the report "shocking", and said the trust "should hang its head in shame".

"The people of west Cumbria must have the services they need and deserve at West Cumberland Hospital," she said.

"No-one should be in danger of “coming to serious harm” because of inadequate health care provision."

Group member Christine Wharrier added: "The ambulance trust raised its own failures of achieving targets.

"Ambulances travelling the A595 day and night must hinder efficiencies.

"The failure of management who continue to deny there are problems means that there is no acceptance that the system does not work.

"I am quite sure the distances involved and insufficient staff resources are to blame – risks must be high if they go unrecognised."

Responding to the CQC report, a spokesperson for NCIC said: “Since the inspection in the summer, we have made improvements in triage and ambulance handover times, particularly ensuring clinical oversight where we do experience delays.

“We are also taking action to improve the flow of patients within the hospital and improve the quality of record keeping.

“Our ambulance handover delays of over 60 minutes has halved since October."

They continued: “If ambulance transfers from west are required, we make arrangements to take to the receiving areas and wards if the patients are appropriate as per our operating procedures.

“If this is not possible and the patient is received at the Cumberland Infirmary Carlisle Emergency Department, we have put in processes called ‘intentional rounding’ to ensure that we are able to quickly identify any deteriorating patients.

“This means that every two hours the Emergency Physician In Charge (EPIC) checks every patient in the department to ensure all are safe and checks each patient’s clinical plan.

“Any updates or amendments are made at that time.”