Barrow’s MP says she feels vindicated for raising concerns about the area’s critical care unit after the NHS trust which runs Furness General Hospital told staff it had contacted the independent regulator of health and social care among others for advice and support.
Michelle Scrogham says urgent action is now needed to reverse what she called the managed decline of the unit which provides care for the most seriously ill patients.
In July 2025, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said Level 3 intensive care which had been suspended since September 2024 due to recruitment issues would not return to the hospital.
The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust has shared a letter to staff in which Scott McLean, interim chief executive, Dr Helen Skinner, chief medical officer and Lynne Wyre, interim chief nurse, set out action that has been taken.
This includes contacting the Care Quality Commission along with other NHS bodies while reassuring staff that they feel patient care has not being compromised. They do concede that more could be done to reduce risk to patient safety and have asked staff for their input.
Mrs Scrogham, MP for Barrow & Furness said: “While the trust has provided reassurance that the mitigations they have put in place mean there are currently no immediate patient safety risks at Furness General Hospital, the fact they have escalated these concerns about critical care at the hospital to the Care Quality Commission and others is clearly worrying and urgent action is now required.
“This situation validates the concerns I, and others, have raised repeatedly: if we do not fix and reintroduce the Level 3 critical care service, we will inevitably see deterioration in Levels 1 and 2.
“Ultimately, this puts the future of A&E, maternity and other services at risk. Unfortunately, it looks as if this scenario is now being played out.”
The tone of the letter sent to staff by trust management is conciliatory, calling for staff to work with leaders and end a them and us culture that can appear at times like these.
Mrs Scrogham added: “We must step away from the path of managed decline and instead establish a robust, credible plan for reinstating Level 3 critical care at FGH.
“The intensive care specialists we need do exist within the wider system, and we need to provide the right service structures, incentives, research opportunities, rotas, and support to attract them to Furness General.
“It is now essential that a detailed road-map for the reintroduction of Level 3 critical care is developed without delay.
“I have asked the trust and ICB to provide this plan as soon as possible, and to set out any support they need from Team Barrow, Government, and other partners to deliver it.”
