Concerns over intensive care services at Furness General Hospital

Responding to reports that Furness General Hospital (FGH), part of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, remains unable to provide the highest level of intensive care and is in ongoing discussions with Defence Medical Services to support the service at FGH, Regional Director for RCN Northern Peta Clark said:

“Any plans to restore treatment for the most seriously ill intensive care patients at FGH must be underpinned by robust staffing arrangements and, above all, ensure patient safety.

“It is deeply concerning that the hospital has been unable to provide Level 3 intensive care, the highest level of critical care, for almost two years.

“The ongoing recruitment and staffing challenges at FGH must be urgently addressed. Both the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust need to work together to develop a sustainable solution.

“This prolonged situation is not only worrying for local residents, who expect access to high-quality care close to home, but also impacts on staff morale and limits opportunities for clinicians to maintain and develop vital specialist skills and experience.”

Level 3 care, for those patient requiring life support for multiple-organ failure, was suspended at FGH in Barrow-in-Furness in September 2024. 

Currently, the most unwell patients are being stabilised at FGH before being transferred by ambulance some 46 miles to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in Lancaster. The journey can take over 1 hour and 15 minutes via the A590, which is a road notorious for regular traffic delays - especially during the summer months.

A final decision on the future of level 3 intensive care at FGH is not expected until October 2027.