MORECAMBE and Lunesdale MP David Morris has welcomed news that the number of nurses in local hospitals has increased.

Mr Morris said that within the Morecambe Bay trust, the nursing vacancy level is currently lower than it has been.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Morris said the vacancy level is now 4 per cent against a regional average of 10 per cent.

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Responding, the Secretary of State for Health,  Jeremy Hunt MP said: “What I would say about those numbers is whilst they are an important first step, it’s not possible to compare trust against trust at this stage because they’re all self-reported numbers.

"Over the next months and certainly by next spring we will have gone through all the figures and then we’ll be able to see how trust are doing against each other."

Speaking after the debate, Mr Morris added: “I do think it is encouraging to see that there are more nurses on our wards across the Trust. I also welcome that the Secretary of State is, and will, continue to hold all Trusts to account on staffing levels in the interest of patient safety.

"I will look forward to the publication of staffing levels in the spring when we will have a very clear indication of staffing levels across all Trusts.”