Working Together meeting this evening

I attended the meeting of the "Working Together Steering Group" this evening at the Excellence Suite, ENERGUS, in Lillyhall.

This is one of a number of working groups which give members of the community and stakeholders in our health service the opportunity to work together on how to improve local health services.

The "Working Together Steering Group" which met this evening is particularly concerned with consultant-led maternity and paediatric services and particularly supporting the NHS's work to try and make Option 1 for maternity and paediatrics a reality – that’s consultant–led care at the West Cumberland Hospital and a Short Stay Paediatric Assessment Unit at both hospitals with inpatient services in Carlisle and some overnight beds in Whitehaven for less poorly children.

There are other "Working together" groups supporting other aspects of local NHS services such as community hospitals; a similar group is starting to get under way for Stroke services.

Details of future meetings of these bodies and minutes of past ones can be found on the local NHS website at

http://www.northcumbriaccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/engagement/co-production-and-the-working-together-group.aspx