Ms Molloy has told campaigners she would help them come up with scenarios to put to the Success Regime, including ones that would see the retention of beds at Maryport Cottage Hospital.
“I am not making any promises. I am just saying that if we work together to form proposals to put to the Success Regime, it is possible to look at something that would see the retention of the beds,” she said.
Ms Molloy and the partnership’s director of service improvement, Dr John Howarth, organised the setting up of a steering committee which will meet every two weeks until the end of December to form submissions.
She told Maryport hospital staff that they had dispensation to freely contribute to these meetings.
The Maryport Health Asset Group is to be asked to take responsibility for the steering group.
Dr Howarth said the health pounds spent on Maryport people amounted to about £25 million.
He added: “Around 50 per cent of that goes to the acute hospitals. The rest is shared between the GP surgeries, drugs and community services."
SOB chairman Bill Barnes told Ms Molloy: “I could hug you. This is the most positive meeting we have had in the 16 weeks since we were told Maryport hospital was likely to lose all its beds.”
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