Tim Farron challenges Health Secretary to intervene after vulnerable residents see vital NHS care cut

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, after it emerged that people with debilitating conditions in South Cumbria are seeing essential health care funding axed.

Continuing Health Care (CHC) is a package of care arranged and funded by the NHS for people with a high level of need due to complex disabilities or illnesses such as motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s. 

In order to receive CHC funding, individuals have to be assessed by local integrated care boards (ICBs) who administer the funding as a statutory duty on behalf of the Government.

It has come to light that Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has brought in the services of a private company called Liaison Care to save costs in CHC assessments.

It comes as the ICB are having to make £142m in savings this year.

A recent Freedom of Information request from Tim Farron’s office to the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB has revealed that since Liaison Care was hired there has been a 420% increase in the number of people who have had their eligibility for CHC reduced or removed by NHS assessors.

Until recently, Liaison Care’s website claimed that the company specialised in ‘CHC Optimisation’ and boasted that they have saved Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB  upwards of £6.5m. Tim’s office made the ICB aware of these comments and they have subsequently been taken down by Liaison Care. 

Tim’s office have been contacted by numerous family members, care homes and whistleblowers from the NHS who have reported that people with irreversible health conditions are being told that they know no longer meet criteria for fully funded CHC and instead have a ‘social need’. 

In several cases by Tim’s intervention he has been able to demonstrate that all of these people have a primary health condition and should never have had to go through the stress associated with having their CHC packages pulled.

In his letter to the Health Secretary, Tim said: “In a recent case that has come to my attention, one of my constituents who has vascular dementia is registered blind, is unable to walk, feed or care for himself and is also prone to bruising and skin tears, had had his case brought into dispute by Liaison Care.

“I am minded to think back to your response in the House on Tuesday 22nd July 2025 where you said, ‘it would be bumpy for ICBs as we get them back to balance’ Is this what you really meant, saving money by axing access to essential CHC funding to support my most vulnerable constituents, who rely on this to keep them safe and give them a modicum of dignity and support as they battle life limiting conditions?

“Sadly, the reality for the families who have their funding cut is they spent enormous amounts of time, energy and stress fighting appeals and trying to get decisions overturned, when in the cases l have triaged, the decisions were flawed and should never have been ratified in the first place – a somewhat sad scenario when all they should be doing is spending what time remains creating memories, not fighting bureaucracy and maladministration.”