A Cumbrian NHS trust has been named among the first five in the country to be placed in a special recovery programme.
The NHS Intensive Recovery programme has identified trusts at the bottom of the NHS league tables where patients faced the longest waits, there was high leadership turnover and there were persistent financial problems.
The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital, is among those which have been named as part of the programme.
The Government said the trusts were not failing through lack of effort, leadership or the hard work of staff.
It added: “They face deep-rooted challenges — including structural constraints, workforce pressures and financial imbalance.”
Health Minister Wes Streeting is due to announce the programme formally today at the University of East London.
It said despite improvements to the NHS overall, some trusts continued to struggle – often due to a range of persistent and historic issues that had never been properly addressed.
However, Cumbrian MPs Josh MacAlister, who represents Whitehaven & Workington and Julie Minns, Carlisle’s MP, said there had been progress at the North Cumbrian trust under new leadership and the programme would help it develop further.
The MPs said: ““We welcome today’s announcement that North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust will be part of the NHS Intensive Recovery programme – something we have been actively pushing for with ministers in recent months.
“There has been real progress at the trust, thanks to the hard work of staff and leadership, and that must be recognised.
“This is not about failure – it’s about backing that progress and helping the trust to go further, faster.
“Given the unique challenges our area faces, from rurality to workforce pressures, additional expert support is exactly what’s needed to accelerate improvement and deliver better care for patients.
“We were clear in our discussions with Government that north and West Cumbria should benefit from targeted national support, and we’re pleased that call has been heard.
“Our priority is simple: making sure people in our communities see faster improvements in NHS services. We will keep working with the Trust and Ministers to ensure this programme delivers real results locally.”
Each organisation will receive a tailored improvement approach, designed jointly with local leadership.
