A REVIEW of Morecambe Bay’s healthcare has cost taxpayers more than £3million since it began two years ago.

Figures shown to the Gazette reveal the Better Care Together process, set up to examine health services in south Cumbria and north Lancashire, has already cost £3.3m – and either a formal consultation or further public engagement is still to come.

“I cannot believe that health bosses need to spend over £3 million just to find out we need more health services in our area,” blasted South Lakes MP, Tim Farron.

“I also can’t believe that they’ve spent £3 million before any consultation has even started.

“I could have told them for free that we need radiotherapy, A&E and maternity services in the South Lakes and I will keep pressing them to extend services at Westmorland General.”

The Better Care Together review was set up as a joint venture between the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust (UHMBT), which runs Westmorland, Furness and Lancaster hospitals, and the Cumbria and North Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

The spending took place between July 2012 and June 2014 and the figures show that “third parties or consultants” accounted for £3.16m of it.

Room hire for public engagements cost £12,300, promotional materials and advertisements £51,600, staff travel reimbursement £2,200 and hospitality £2,200.

It comes less than two years after UHMBT revealed it needed to save £30m or risk going bust.

But Dr Hugh Reeve, chair of the Cumbria CCG, defended the spending, saying: “It is important we get real value for money from local NHS services.

“Sometimes this means taking a long hard look at what we are doing now so in the future we can make changes that will improve patients’ experiences.”

Public engagement activities were held across the area, ahead of a final strategy being produced, which has now gone before NHS England for approval.

Once given the green light by the overarching NHS body, the strategy will either be subject to further public engagement events or a full, formal consultation.