£4 million to upgrade A&E in West, North and East Cumbria

 

Today, the Prime Minister has announced £300 million to upgrade A&E facilities across England, ensuring they are prepared to continue delivering world-class care in the winter months ahead.

This includes £4 million for the North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust It also includes £1.921 million for the Morecambe Bay NHS trust which serves South Cumbria and part of Lancashire Thanks to the sacrifices of the British public, Britain has made huge progress in tackling coronavirus. We must now ensure our NHS is ready for the coming winter.   NHS Trusts will receive a share of £300 million for A&E projects which will be completed by the start of next year, which could include increasing capacity for more patients to reduce waiting times, improving infection control and increasing the provision of same day emergency care.    The Prime Minister will also urge the public to feel confident to visit A&E if they need to. The NHS has measures in place to keep people safe and it is vital those in need of hospital treatment receive it.

Latest COVID-19 data for Cumbria

The latest COVID-19 status report for Cumbria has been published. The weekly report sets out key statistics relating COVID-19 infections in the county and can be found at www.cumbria.gov.uk/stopthespread. 

This week’s report shows a smaller number of new COVID-19 cases in Cumbria than the preceding week, down from 55 to 41. 

Figures in the county were highest in Carlisle  and Eden, where despite a very high number of people being tested following recent outbreaks, both districts also saw a reduction in the number of new cases.

While the number of new positive cases in Carlisle and Eden is higher than other areas in Cumbria and the rate of cases per 100,000 in Eden remains high compared to the rest of Cumbria, it is not high in those districts or the rest of Cumbria compared to other areas of concern in the North West, particularly those where new restrictions were imposed yesterday.

The local multi-agency Health Protection Board is closely monitoring the situation and is proactively contact tracing known cases. In the last week local contact tracing teams have been involved in 32 incidents, tracing 137 contacts.

There is no change to the local public health advice.

Colin Cox, Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, said: 

“The numbers of new cases in Carlisle and Eden were a concern. That’s why we are extremely grateful to everyone who followed our advice and got tested. What we can now see, from the low number of new cases identified, is that there does not appear to have been widespread transmission of the virus as a result of the visits to local pubs by people who were infectious. This is good news but we continue to monitor closely.

“It is also very clear that the virus is still circulating and being passed between local people in the community, so we must not think that the risk has gone away. Only by continued vigilance and following the basic public health guidance will we prevent the number of people being infected growing again.

“For anyone heading for a night out this weekend I’d ask you just to do the basics – social distancing as far as possible, wash your hands regularly and make sure you provide contact details to any venues you visit. If you are getting a taxi we would also advise you to wear a mask or face covering.”

The key public health messages remain:

• Wash or sanitise your hands regularly 
• Observe social distancing rules 
• Wear face masks or coverings in enclosed public spaces 
• If you have symptoms, self-isolate and get tested 
• Follow advice to self-isolate if asked 

Testing is available in Carlisle at Brunton Park until Sunday 2 August from 10am to 3pm and then again on Wednesday 5 August and Thursday 6 August. Testing is also available at Penrith Rugby Club seven days a week. People can book a test at: https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test

Home testing kits can also be ordered via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test

Source: Cumbria Crack.