A REPORT calling for investment into Furness General Hospital (FGH) to meet future health needs of people in Barrow has been released.

Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme’s Case for Change report outlines the critical need for investment to address ‘significant problems’ with the ageing Royal Preston Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, as well as the need for investment in Furness General Hospital’s infrastructure.

It has been released in a bid to secure vital funding from the Government’s Health Infrastructure Plan, which will see new hospitals built and investment in the country’s existing hospitals.

The report, which has been approved by Lancashire and South Cumbria Strategic Commissioning Committee, is the first of many official documents the programme will have to produce to secure the funding to transform the county’s hospitals.

And New Hospitals LSC is calling on the public to share their views on the Case for Change.

According to the report FGH is faced with a ‘significant challenge’ caused by a backlog in maintenance to its estate that fails to meet some health building notes standards and capacity requirements – such as in the Critical Care Unit and High Dependency Unit – which in turn ‘inflates’ staff recruitment and retention issues.

The report recommends improvements to the environment for patients and staff, including increasing single-room provision.

In addition, it states that there is a ‘significant risk that, as currently constituted, this site may never meet crucial carbon emission standards’.

It also highlights the remote geographic location of the hospital and stresses the need for it to accommodate the latest in digital technologies and robotics.

“The age, condition and poor functional content of the existing hospital estate mean that we must address this critical need if we are to serve both the current and future needs of our local population,” said the report.