SOUTH Lakes MP Tim Farron met Rosemere Cancer Foundation to discuss the long-running campaign to bring radiotherapy services to Westmorland General Hospital.

The Rosemere Cancer Foundation raises funds for additional equipment and facilities for cancer patients in Lancashire and South Cumbria. Rosemere also funds vital research, helping to provide the very best care possible for patients.

Mr Farron met with the Chief Officer of the Foundation, Sue Thompson, to discuss the bid to bring a satellite radiotherapy treatment centre to the Kendal hospital.

Chemotherapy treatment is available at Westmorland General and the chemo unit will soon be celebrating its third anniversary. Mr Farron and Ms Thompson discussed where the radiotherapy plan is currently up to and talked about fundraising for the potential unit. Mr Farron also paid tribute to Rosemere, whom he said played a played major role in bringing chemotherapy to Kendal and put £100,000 of funding towards the cost of building the unit.

He will now meet the National Commissioning Team of NHS England to push the project forward. He is also calling for the Better Care Together team, who are currently planning the future of local health services, to put it into their plans for the next five to 10 years.

“Meeting Sue was really helpful,” said Mr Farron. “Rosemere are a fantastic local cancer charity who are doing amazing work. I will keep working with campaigners and charities like Rosemere to bring radiotherapy to our hospital. But we need health bosses to continue backing our campaign. I hope the Better Care Together team, who are currently reviewing hospital services in our area, put radiotherapy services at Kendal in their final report.

“Asking patients and their families to make the gruelling journey to Preston for radiotherapy treatment must end. I will keep pushing until we get a full cancer treatment unit at Westmorland General. We are moving in the right direction, but we need to keep the pressure on.”