Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham has written to health chiefs with questions about critical care in South Cumbria.
She will meet with the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board next week about its proposals to permanently close Level 3 intensive care unit services at Furness General Hospital in Barrow.
It said medical staffing in the unit had been a concern for several years.
Level 3 intensive care was suspended at the hospital in September due to issues with recruiting qualified and experienced staff. It had only three permanent consultants in post against a national guidance requirement of eight.
Mrs Scrogham says she has met with current and former staff from the hospital, clinical experts, patients, residents, and other local organisations.
Cumbria Crack has also spoken to staff who have expressed concern about the proposed changes.
The MP argues the the board cannot move forward with their proposals to permanently downgrade critical care without answering fundamental questions.
The North West NHS clinical senate carried out a review of the proposed changes earlier this year on which the board’s proposals are based.
The board said the clinical senatef ound that the previous provision could not meet the necessary standards and was therefore not safe.
But, in a letter to Sam Proffitt, the board’s acting chief executive, Mrs Scrogham says: “While I acknowledge recruitment challenges in the past, this should not be treated as an insurmountable barrier to sustaining Level 3 care at Furness General Hospital.
“The clinical senate was asked to undertake its review using the baseline assumption that everything possible has been done to attract the staff needed to run the service.
“This has not been adequately demonstrated and the clinical senate was in no position to assess this crucial point.
“Indeed, other trusts have filled similar posts through targeted incentives, rotational contracts, and local training pipelines. Without every option being explored it is premature to use workforce shortages as justification for removing such a vital service.”
The three levels of adult intensive care are defined by the intensity of organ support and monitoring required.
Level 1 is for patients at risk of their condition deteriorating, requiring additional support and monitoring on a regular ward.
Level 2, also known as high dependency, provides support for a single failing organ system or post-operative care.
Level 3, the most intensive level, involves support for two or more failing organ systems, including mechanical ventilation.
While the temporary change has been in place, patients who require Level 3 critical care were transferred to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, once stabilised.
Patients who needed levels 1 and 2 critical care continued to be treated and cared for at the hospital in Barrow.
Commenting on the letter, Mrs Scrogham said: “The ICB cannot move forward with their proposals to permanently downgrade critical care at Furness General Hospital without answering these fundamental questions.
“I will be meeting with the board on Monday where I will be asking them pause their decision-making process whilst they gather and present this information to local people and I will be asking that they commit to ensuring there is full public consultation before any final decision is made – in line with NHS England’s guidance on significant service change.”
