The Success Regime has provided an opportunity to build a health service in Maryport that exceeds what is already available, people have been told.

Local GP Dan Berkeley told 400 people at the Success Regime consultation last night that the proposal to remove beds from the community hospital had galvanised the town.

“This is a scary time for us. But I think the Maryport Alliance, which has been set up by community groups, supported by Maryport Health Services may give us the chance to build something better here.”

But he said the town had only two weeks to come up with the proposal and wanted assurance that it would be considered by the regime.

Dr John Haworth, deputy chief executive of the Cumbria Partnership NHS Trust, is helping the Maryport Alliance develop a strategy.

He gave an assurance that all proposals would be examined by independent consultants and reiterated that no final decisions had yet been made.

The Maryport meeting was moved from the smaller Wave Centre to St Mary’s Church, which holds 450 people.

The community was unanimous in its opposition to the Success Regime’s favoured option for future care in the north of the county which would see all beds removed from Maryport's cottage hospital.

County councillor Alan Clark said if the Success Regime was expecting the county to look after more people in their homes that would not be happening.

He said: “We are cutting down on our care of the elderly because of finances. I have heard of cases where people are being put to bed at six o clock at night because the carer has two or three other people to attend to.”

While the focus was on Maryport Community Hospital there was also concern expressed over cuts to services at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

Peter Kendall said the situation was already difficult.

He said: “My daughter called an ambulance for my grandson who was ill. She was told he would have to go to Carlisle because there were no paediatricians in Whitehaven.

“Ambulance staff told her that they had been directed to Whitehaven.

“They took my grandson there. He was given morphine and sent to Carlisle where his appendix were removed.”

There was also concern about women having to travel from as far as Millom to Carlisle when they were in labour, if they had been judged as not being suitable for the midwife-led maternity service being proposed for Whitehaven.

Director of midwifery, Christina Cuncarr, said she would prefer that women did not have to travel. But she said: “If we haven’t got the services I would prefer that women birth where it is safe.”

Medial director, Rod Harper, said the preferred option of having midwife-led services in Whitehaven had been approved by the Royal College of Gynaecologists.