Cottage hospital units across north Cumbria could be forced to close temporarily due to an “unprecedented” staffing crisis.

Bosses have launched an urgent appeal for nurses as they prepare to activate contingency plans as early as next week.

If gaps cannot be plugged, they say these “could include the temporary closure of one or more inpatient units”.

They stress it would be a short term measure, and would have no impact on the wider future of the hospitals and their beds – which are under review by the Government’s Success Regime.

The Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) runs all of north Cumbria’s community hospitals, including those in Brampton, Wigton, Alston, Penrith, Keswick and Cockermouth. It says that unprecedented staffing issues are placing “increasing strain” on the trust’s ability to deliver safe care.

This is due to a combination of factors including vacant posts, annual leave over the summer holidays and staff sickness. Contingency plans have been developed and may have to be brought into action if the situation cannot be resolved. In the meantime CPFT is appealing to other trusts for help.

There are already 24 beds closed across the hospitals due to staffing shortages. Now bosses are considering closing full units.

Dr Sara Munro, director of nursing and quality, said: “It is well known that we have been operating our inpatient units with significant staff shortages for some time and been flexing our bed base across all of our units to accommodate this.

“However, we are now experiencing unprecedented shortages in qualified nursing staff of 40 per cent on five of our units, rising to 59 per cent at Alston.

“We have more vacancies than we usually have, compounded by annual leave and sickness.”

She added that, because the units are so small, with only one or two nurses on duty, there is no back-up available. They have recently taken on five new nurses, but even this is not enough.

“The quality and safety of services is our overriding priority and clearly these staffing levels are insufficient to continue to operate all units safely from next week. We are therefore urgently working with our partners to see whether any mutual aid is possible. If not, we are looking at activating plans

from next week,” she said.

Steps already taken include additional recruitment, mobilising staff from other services to cover, and bringing in bank and agency staff. CPFT is now asking other trusts if they can provide extra staff cover.

Claire Molloy, chief executive, added: “Staff have gone above and beyond their roles to ensure services can continue with safe staffing levels for an extended period.

“We are incredibly grateful, however this is not sustainable and we are beginning to see the signs of stress in our staff due to the additional demands.”

The trust said any temporary closure would not preempt any decisions about the long term future of the hospitals.

The Success Regime is currently looking at all of the issues facing the hospitals as part of its controversial review.

Our sister paper the News & Star revealed this week that the Success Regime’s preferred long-term option is to remove all of the beds from Wigton, Alston and Maryport – and four from Penrith. A total of 104 beds – about 30 less than currently available – would then be consolidated.

The Success Regime insists no decisions have been made and it will continue to listen to feedback from local groups at meetings in Penrith next week and Carlisle the week after.