Hospital placed under highest alert level shows it’s ‘madness’ to close beds, says MP

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron says the news that the Royal Lancaster Infirmary has once again been placed under the highest NHS alert level proves that it is ‘madness’ to cut hospital beds.

This is the fourth time that the hospital has gone into Opel 4 in the past four months due to high demand and pressure.

In a statement released at the end of December, the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust say they are “at risk of not having the required money in the bank by January 2026 to pay the things we need to”. As a result they say this is “leading to some very serious decisions around things like what beds we can provide, what amount of elective activity we do, and what we can and can’t pay for.”

The proposed cuts include closing Ward 23 (rehab ward) at Royal Lancaster Infirmary, and reducing 18 beds across three wards at Furness General Hospital.

Speaking today, Tim said: “It’s absolute madness to be closing beds at a time when pressure and demand at Royal Lancaster Infirmary is at the highest level.

“Patients are already waiting hours in pain to be seen at A&E. How on earth can the Government justify cutting funding for our hospitals trust which is leading them to cut bed numbers?

“That’s why the Government must U-turn and must do so now.”