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No further action in saline tampering investigation

Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary Credit: ITV Border

Police say an investigation into alleged saline bag tampering at Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary has concluded.

A woman, from Wigton, who was arrested in connection with the investigation, will face no further action.

The decision was made by the Crown Prosecution Service following a police investigation.

Police said North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust worked closely with officers throughout the investigation, which started in January 2017.

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Emergency stroke treatment to be centralised in Carlisle

Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle Credit: ITV Border

Emergency stroke treatment for patients in north, west and east Cumbria will take place in Carlisle, health officials have announced.

Plans to develop a hyper-acute stroke unit at the Cumberland Infirmary have been given the final approval by NHS North Cumbria CCG.

The announcement comes alongside a timetable to close all the in-patient beds at Alston, Wigton and Maryport community hospitals in the county.

We are pleased to be able to say that the plans developed around those community hospitals and for stroke services across the north of the county have been thoroughly considered and will bring benefits for our communities.”

– Jon Rush, chair, NHS North Cumbria CCG

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WATCH: £100million to go to Cumbrian hospitals

The Government has announced that up to £100million will be invested in the two acute hospitals in north and west Cumbria.

£30-50 million will pay for a new cancer unit at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. The same amount will be spent on the continued re-building of the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven and up to £5million will pay for eight so-called "Integrated Care Communities" to improve access to local services in the community.

Watch Tim Backshall's report here:

Cumbria's NHS trust performs above national average despite 'requires improvement' rating

A&E department at West Cumberland Hospital Credit: ITV Border

The North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust has been ranked 45 out of 138 trusts in England, for its Accident and Emergency performance.

The national average for all trusts in May 2017 was 84.6% and North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust’s overall performance was 89.8%, above the average.

The national standard is that 95% of patients should be seen, treated, admitted or discharged from A&E in under four hours.

The most important message to take from this is remembering that behind these figures are our patients and local communities who both need and deserve excellent care. I am delighted to be able to share the news today that our continued focus on improvement is resulting in real progress and we will keep striving towards hitting the 95% standard.

– Stephen Eames, North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Executive

The Trust’s two A&E departments in Carlisle and Whitehaven had 7,696 attendances in May 2017, equating to over 10 people every hour.

The North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust is still rated as 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission.

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