West Cumbria hospital to promote energy skills

Regeneration bosses in Cumbria will meet on Friday to discuss the possibility of building energy-related facilities alongside the proposed £100m acute hospital planned for West Cumbria.

Options include adding teaching and medical research into radiology and toxicology to the new hospital plans, proposed by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Members of the trust will meet with the West Cumbria Strategic Forum and other local decision makers to discuss linking the Britain's Energy Coast plans for the area with the new hospital complex.

The new hospital will replace the West Cumberland Hospital in Hensingham. A project board is being assembled to produce the business case and preferred site selection process for the new healthcare facilities.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Maggie Chadwick, Chair of NHS Cumbria, said: "This is an exciting time for West Cumbria.

"As the Britain's Energy Coast Masterplan recognises, we have a world class asset in the skills and experience of the nuclear sector.

"The creation of a new hospital with strong medical research links would help to diversify these skills into health-related fields such as medical technology and decontamination."