GP SERVICES and facilities at Westmorland General Hospital were just some of the items discussed at a meeting held as part of an inspection of hospitals around Morecambe Bay.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) hosted the event in Kendal, where people were invited to share their experiences of services at Westmorland, Furness and Lancaster hospitals.

“It was a good meeting,” said South Lakes MP Tim Farron, who attended the event.

“What happens now will be the proof of the pudding, but I think it was a good meeting and there were a good amount of people from all walks of life who attended.”

He said hospital staff, members of Age UK and representatives of the South Lakes Health Action Group also attended.

Discussions got going about the potential loss of GP services in Hawkshead and Coniston, as well as the need for more services to be provided in Kendal.

“We talked about safety and congestion at Lancaster,” continued Mr Farron. “Whatever we do we need to make Lancaster a lot safer by not over-congesting it with our patients. If you move more services to Westmorland General it’ll make everyone safer.”

Meetings also took place in Lancaster and Barrow, and CQC inspectors are now reaching the end of a two-week inspection of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust. Around 50 people attended.