A more stable service is on the horizon for two urgent treatment centres, an NHS trust said.
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has said it is restating its commitment to the future of its centres in Keswick and Penrith.
It said that since July 2025, Keswick Urgent Treatment Centre has had to close a number of times due to staffing issues across both Keswick and Penrith.
It added that where it is not able to safely staff both units, colleagues are brought together at Penrith which has longer opening hours, to make sure an urgent healthcare service is available in the area.
But it said that the staffing gaps, arising from a combination of vacancies and long term absences in a small team, are now improving following successful recruitment and that it expects to provide a ‘much more stable’ service by May 2026.
Dr Gill Findley, executive chief nurse said: “We know how valuable the service is for the community and the tourist population in the heart of the Lake District, and the Trust is committed to maintaining the service we have at both hospitals.
“The Urgent Treatment Centre offers a fantastic service to our population. It performs consistently well achieving above 95 per cent for seeing patients within the four-hour standard and we regularly receive compliments for the service.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience and confusion caused by the ongoing temporary closures and fully recognise the impact this has had on those who use the service.
“This decision is never taken lightly and is and is only to ensure that we can keep patients safe and continue to provide at least one Urgent Treatment facility in the area.
“Our colleagues have been working extremely hard to maintain provision wherever possible, and we are grateful for their continued commitment during what has been a challenging period.
“We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we work through these challenges.
“We are working really hard to stabilise the staffing position. We are actively recruiting to vacant posts and colleagues are due to join us in the coming months to strengthen the team.
“We will do everything we can to avoid further closures in the coming months, however it is likely there will be some disruption until new colleagues come into post.”
