Which way now for our hospital care?

Now doubts are starting to emerge about the future of the controversial acquisition by Northumbria Healthcare.

When quizzed by the News & Star, north Cumbria's new boss admitted he "doesn't know" if a formal takeover will ever happen.

Chief executive Stephen Eames said strong links with Northumbria will be vital in helping the troubled Carlisle and Whitehaven hospitals resolve a staffing crisis and get out of special measures.

However he also spoke of strengthening links with Newcastle - whose joint bid to acquire Carlisle and Whitehaven hospitals was rejected in 2012.

Northumbria - currently providing support to north Cumbria as a buddy trust - insists it still plans to go ahead with the takeover, which can't go ahead while the organisation is in special measures.

However the News & Star understands that a shadow board of governors, formed to represent the interests of patients and staff in north Cumbria when it joins Northumbria foundation trust, has not met since October last year. Prior to that it was meeting every month.

Northumbria says it is waiting for the so-called Success Regime to complete its high-profile work to tackle deep-rooted problems across the north Cumbrian NHS, including those within the hospitals.

A spokeswoman for the north east trust said: “Work continues to take place towards the acquisition of North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Success Regime will now help us establish a clear path for the future which allows us to move forward, with pace, for the benefit of patient care.

"Our work to create the Northumbria Foundation Group and multi-hospital chains will form a core part of this work and allow us to support north Cumbria even further."

Whether this will result in formal acquisition of the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital is not, however, clear.

A North Cumbria spokeswoman said: "The support we've had from our buddy trust Northumbria Healthcare has been invaluable in our improvement journey and this partnership will continue as part of the newly formed Success Regime as we work towards acquisition. 

"The trust, along with all local and national partners, including the Care Quality Commission, is clear that working as part of a larger organisation will help North Cumbria to sustain high quality and safe services in the long term and we look forward to forging our relationship with Northumbria even further in the years ahead." 

Stephen Eames Mr Eames took over as chief executive of North Cumbria three weeks ago. It followed the sudden departure of Ann Farrar, who was originally brought in from Northumbria ahead of the takeover.

He agreed that the troubled trust can't go it alone, and said links have already been forged with Northumbria.

However he hinted that there may be other options instead of a formal takeover and when asked directly if the acquisition was still firmly in the plan he admitted "I don't know".

Mr Eames explained: "I think the Success Regime are quite clear that acquisition hasn't gone as originally planned. Everyone knows that. 

"What we are really looking at is building on our relationship with Northumbria."

For example, he believes it would be the "wrong thing" for the trust to try and stand alone when recruiting - with staff shortages among the main problems he has to address.

He explained that there are already back office links between the two trusts, making it possible to appoint consultants that could work across both.

He said across the NHS there is a growing belief that hospitals need to work more closely together to improve both clinical and financial viability. Northumbria is among the areas piloting this approach.

But Mr Eames is also working to build bridges with Newcastle, which originally put forward a joint bid, as part of an alliance with the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, to acquire the hospitals.

Relationships between Newcastle and North Cumbria soured after Northumbria was named preferred partner in February 2012.

Sir Leonard Fenwick, chief executive of Newcastle Hospitals, said at the time he was disappointed that an opportunity to invest £60m in local cancer and children’s services had been missed.

In 2013, letters obtained by the News & Star under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that then North Cumbria chairman Ian Gordon had formally apologised for "ill-considered and derogatory remarks" made about the alliance bid and the Newcastle trust.

When the takeover still hadn't gone ahead by April 2014, Newcastle chairman Kingsley Smith called for a fresh look as to whether that it was still the best option. In an open letter to the North Cumbria board, he asked whether it may be better for trust to stay as it was, but with support from Newcastle, Northumbria and others.

Another two years on and Mr Eames now appears to be opening discussions with Newcastle along these lines.

He told the News & Star that he has met with Newcastle bosses in the past few weeks talked about how they strengthen links.

"First and foremost we will work on cancer services. We are also looking at bringing the Great North Children's Hospital to Cumbria," he said.

Both of these ideas formed part of the original Newcastle bid.

Locally, opinion is divided on whether acquisition with Northumbria is still the best course of action for north Cumbria's hospitals.

Carlisle MP John Stevenson remains firmly in favour of a takeover and said Northumbria has always been a good fit.

He said: "I still maintain that the North Cumbria trust has to be merged or acquired by another trust because it is in the best interests of the hospitals, patients and the wider community.

"This is something I wanted to happen years ago and is still in our best interests. Yes we have the Success Regime looking at the hospitals and wider health economy. We have to see what recommendations they come up with, but the sooner the better."

Mahesh Dhebar However Mahesh Dhebar, a retired orthopedic surgeon in Whitehaven and now part of the Voice for Health Care group in west Cumbria, strongly opposes the Northumbria acquisition.

He believes that as buddy trust, it is partially responsible for the problems at the West Cumberland Hospital.

"The public will not accept any management roll from Northumbria, in health care for west Cumbria. 

"They have destroyed a fantastic little hospital in Whitehaven, which was big enough to cope and small enough to respond in unexpected emergency situation," he said.

He added that his preference would be merge with the Cumbria Partnership trust, which already provides community and mental health services in the county, including running cottage hospitals.