MP: 'Morecambe Bay A&E pressures show need for more services at WGH'

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has today said that pressure must be alleviated on Lancaster Royal Infirmary after figures released by the BBC show that the hospitals trust missed targets.

As part of their NHS Winter project, the BBC are studying every hospital trust in England and Wales. In their latest figures the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust is one of 81 major A&E trusts missing the target of 95% of patients seen within 4 hours.

They also saw a massive increase in ambulances queuing outside A&E, rising from 66 in a week to 98. This compares to the national average of 30.7. Ambulances can only leave A&E when they have formally transferred a patient into the care of hospital staff. The NHS is meant to do this within 15 minutes of an ambulance arrival. A queuing ambulance is classed as one that has waited at least 30 minutes.

Planned operations that were cancelled are also up to 11, up 4 from the previous week.

Tim said: "These figures clearly highlight the massive pressure that Lancaster faces. We must work to alleviate that pressure and one solution would be to move services out of the cramped hospital and bring them to Westmorland General. This would alleviate pressure, allow the hospital to hit its targets and more importantly, improve health outcomes for local residents."