"Local people should feel encouraged, but should continue in the fight to save heart and stroke units" - Farron

5.31.30pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Jun 2007

Westmorland & Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has said that local people should feel encouraged to continue in the fight to save the heart and stroke units at the Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal after their success in winning concessions from the trust boards as part of their Acute Services Review.

The health trusts' latest plans were revealed publicly at a meeting of the Cumbria & Lancashire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee in Lancaster this afternoon. Local MP Tim Farron also received a briefing on the plans from health bosses on Thursday evening.

The plans see around 30 to 40% of the services which Kendal was going to lose remaining, but crucially the heart and stroke units would still close.

Commenting, Tim Farron said: "I am encouraged that health bosses have made significant concessions compared to the original plans in the Acute Services Review. However, the trusts should be under no illusion that local residents will find the closure of the heart and stroke units at the Westmorland General acceptable.

"Only eight months ago 26,000 people signed petitions against the closure of these units, and around 6,000 people marched through the streets of Kendal in protest.

"We must remind health bosses of our opposition to these plans - that's why I've re-launched the petition against the heart and stroke units' closure. It's important that everyone who signed the petition before signs it again."