SPECIALISED Covid centres are to be created across South Cumbria.

A new initiative called ‘Red Hubs’ will be created to try and halt the virus in its path this winter.

It is one of a range of recommendations from Bay Health and Care Partners winter plan.

There will also be no extra Nightingale hospitals this winter but more beds instead.

Kate Maynard, CEO of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, laid out the full plans to Cumbria County Council.

She said: “Instead of the Nightingales, we are going to de-nightingale and look to keep people safe at home and have an additional 30 beds across Barrow and Kendal once we get the funding.

"However, Kendal is for none-elective admissions and I know everyone can’t all go to Kendal as the degree of complexity in some of the surgeries won’t allow for it. If we get an additional surge in capacity tomorrow, then we would go back into theatres and have separate areas set up around intensive care. We are creating 14 new beds soon but not in theatres. This work will get going now and hopefully be finished and ready by Christmas with the same again at Lancaster."

County Cllr Sol Wielkopolski from Barrow sits on the health scrutiny committee. He said he was concerned local health services might be trying to do too much with too many goals to achieve this winter.

He said: “There are 21 actual priorities in this report but to the man in the street, what are the main priorities through this winter?"

In answering the concerns about the trust, Ms Maynard said “The trust will keep people well at home to avoid people coming into hospital.

"Most people are over 65 when they come into hospital. Secondly we do not know what Covid is going to do this winter so the extra beds will make sure we have additional capacity in critical care right through to the recovery stage at the end of the patient’s journey. My other main priority is everyone adhering to social distancing rules."

The report also listed – The new Red Hubs for the Bay area, which will be set aside in temporary locations to receive patients who need a face-to-face examinations. These hubs will be GP referred and will stop potential Covid cases having to visit doctors surgeries.