Improving the congested A595 is a “matter of life and death” for patients at the West Cumberland Hospital, according to a prominent Tory councillor.

Chris Whiteside, who serves on several top tier health committees, underscored the importance of a relief road with a spur branching off to the hospital in boosting survival rates.

The county council’s Local Committee for Copeland was giving feedback on potential upgrades to the A595 and on the role of a Whitehaven relief road as part of its contribution to a six-week consultation.

The delay-prone road has a higher than average rate of accidents and is used as a “rat run” for Sellafield workers, but improvements to the road network are expected to relieve congestion, improve safety and bring an economic boost to the region.

The meeting this week heard from members that the route was important not only for emergency vehicles but also in terms of NHS employees getting to work, and in the safe transportation of equipment and lifesaving medicines including the chemicals used in chemotherapy treatments.

Coun Whiteside, who serves on the Cumbria and Lancashire Joint Health Scrutiny Committee, took the opportunity to focus on how improvements to the route would improve survival rates for patients – and not just those injured in car accidents on the road’s accident blackspots.

He said that a spur road to the West Cumberland branching off a relief road could save lives in situations where speed is of the essence by reducing the time it takes for emergency vehicles to get to the West Cumberland hospital.

He added: “I don’t believe I am exaggerating when I say being able to get to the hospital could save lives. This really is a matter of life and death.

“If we were to have a dual carriageway road, which is what is most likely, or certainly a road on which patients can move faster than they do at present, it would save time – and saving time could improve survival rates.

“But it’s also important that when people have certain conditions that they get treatment fast – this could improve outcomes in the future, meaning the difference between a greater a greater and lesser degree of impairment.

“Many staff working for Cumbria University Hospital Trust are also required to work at Cumbria Infirmary Carlisle and West Cumberland. Patients also need to be transferred between the two hospitals. Improved transport links could also help with recruitment and staff retention.”

Graham Roberts, Conservative councillor for Bransty, said: “Some of these chemicals used for treatment are very expensive and if the patient were denied the treatment it could be to their great detriment – they could die.”

Views are being sought on what the “key objectives” to improve the route should be, the value of a relief road for Whitehaven and any other upgrades members wish to see on the road network around the town.

The views of the local committee will form part of the county council’s overall consultation response.

A report by Highways England has found that the accident rate on this stretch of road is almost 37 per cent higher than for the rest of the county – and that lack of safe overtaking opportunities can lead to frustration and risk-taking manoeuvres.

Large numbers of HGVs use this part of the route, with more than 1,000 a day recorded at Bransty Road – between four per cent and five per cent of all traffic flow.

This is relatively high compared to the national average of 2.5 per cent for urban A-roads.

The report also found that journeys on the route are “unreliable” with a lack of alternative routes in the event of disruption, with closure of the A595 causing long diversions along roads that “can’t cope” with increased traffic.

Among the improvements mooted are the removal of junctions on the A595 through Whitehaven and a bypass of the town.

But Emma Williamson, Labour councillor Kells and Sandwith, stressed the need for improvements to the west coast rail network to coincide with road upgrades.

“I feel that whatever we do for road we need to do for rail. If we don’t improve the rail we are going to see a rise in traffic which will put more pressure on the road.”

Highways England is running a six-week consultation which is due to end on December 19.