A MAJOR review into the future of health services at Morecambe Bay hospitals is set to be released today.

Staff at Westmorland General Hospital, Furness General Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary are being briefed this morning on the Better Care Together Report.

The Gazette understands that the report involves the loss of around 150 beds from across the three hospitals, but offers some guarantees about the facilities available at Westmorland General.

Radiology is expected to remain on the site at Westmorland General, as are obstetric and pediatric services, urgent care triage services and step up and step down elderly care designed to ease the transition of older people from the hospital back into their home.

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It is understood that the report proposes the implementation of 'mega-surgeries' in Kendal and Grange-ovewr-Sands designed to offer services such as x-rays and radiotherapy in order to cut down on the footfall at the hospitals.

The report is expected to announce that all day care surgery, meaning operations that do not require the patient to stay in hospital overnight, from across the University Hospitals of Moecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust's three hospitals, will move to Westmorland General and the hospital will also become a specialist centre of excellence for eye care.

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, South Lakes MP Time Farron said: "The day care surgery will be the biggest boost to the hospital since it was built - it's very positive.

"There is a suggestion that overnight surgeries will be reducing at Westmorland General but we are not having that and I'm working hard to prevent that but overall it's extremely good and it's the biggest deal for the hospital since 1992 when it was built.

"My job is to say it's a positive indication but we need to demand a concrete proposal.

"It will move up into a different league in terms of services, staff and the number of local patients that can make use of it.

"I know that we need to remain vigilant because we're the rural part of the world so we might get overlooked.

"We have to shout three times as loud as Lancaster and Barrow to get out voices heard.

"It's a bit like being 2-0 up with five minutes to go."