Acute hospital services/
Providing high quality health care services is close to the heart of everyone in West Cumbria.
A £100 million acute services hospital is planned for West Cumbria to replace the ageing West Cumberland Hospital on the outskirts of Whitehaven.
The hospital will have 192 beds and boast cutting edge research and teaching facilities, which will build on West Cumbria’s existing strengths in toxicology, radiation and epidemiology.
The new hospital will be supported by a further £80 million investment in localised Community Hospitals to ensure that the emphasis remains on providing the best healthcare close to home.
The investment sits firmly at the centre of the Britain’s Energy Coast™ Masterplan concept. While it is an essential part to improving services for local communities it will also have an impact on helping to improve skills and research and therefore employment and business prospects.
Cumbria Primary Care Trust is currently undertaking a far reaching consultation on the proposals.
Allerdale and Copeland borough councils is identifying suitable sites for the hospital and is currently weighing up the best possible location; while Cumbria County Council will be responsible for undertaking the necessary accessibility and transport studies for the hospital.
Funding – which is to be committed – and further support will come from the Department of Health, the National Health Service, local authorities and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The project is due to start in 2009 and take six years to complete.
