MP Cautions Against Hospital’s Gradual Decline Amid Ward Closure Plans

A Member of Parliament has cautioned that the closure of a ward could lead to a hospital’s gradual decline, described as a “death by a thousand cuts.” According to Labour MP Michelle Scrogham, the Abbey View palliative care ward at Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Cumbria is slated for closure without a public consultation process. This development follows the critical care unit at the same hospital ceasing to admit its most critically ill patients in September. The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) stated that the planned closure of Abbey View aims to ensure patients receive the “right care, at the right time,” and attributed the alterations to the critical care unit as an “interim measure” necessitated by staffing issues. MP Scrogham, who represents the constituency of Barrow and Furness, sent a letter to the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB earlier in the current week. She contended that the decision regarding the ward’s closure failed to account for the hospital’s “future viability.” In her correspondence, Scrogham articulated, “There is a significant worry that without a proper action plan the hospital will suffer a ‘death by a thousand cuts’.” She advocated for the implementation of a public consultation. A petition initiated to prevent the closure of the Abbey View rehabilitation and palliative care ward has garnered over 1,300 signatures. The individual who organized the petition characterized the ward as a “lifeline for local patients.” The trust indicated that it is currently consulting with its staff regarding a reduction in the ward’s beds from 20 to eight in January, with the remaining beds potentially closing next August. Aaron Cummins, the UHMBT chief executive, stated that the closure is part of a “bed reconfiguration.” Instead, patients will be transferred to Parkview Gardens Residential Home, a facility designed for individuals who no longer require hospital care but still need assistance to recover sufficiently to return home. Mr. Cummins affirmed: “I’d like to be clear that none of the proposed changes mean that we stop providing any services for patients – but may change where they are provided within the hospitals and the community.” Moreover, since September, the hospital’s critical care unit has been redirecting patients requiring “Level 3 critical care,” such as those experiencing multi-organ failure, to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Consequently, intensive care facilities are unavailable for the most critically ill patients throughout South Cumbria. Dr. Wendy Craig, the clinical director for surgery and critical care at UHMBT, stated that despite “intensive recruitment efforts,” insufficient staffing levels presented a “risk to the safety of patients and colleagues.” Dr. Craig further commented, “Please note that this is an interim measure due to a deterioration in medical staffing and it will be continually reviewed.”