Pharmacy services will be made private. Credit: ITV Border
An NHS Trust has decided to privatise pharmacy services in its hospitals.
The Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust runs the Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal - and the move means the pharmacy at the hospital will now be run by a private company.
The Trust, which is in special measures, says it will improve patient care.
However, there have been protests against the move, and one regular patient at the hospital started a petition which gained more than 10,000 signatures.
The Trust says more than 100 other NHS Trusts already outsource their pharmacy services.
All pharmacists and pharmacy staff will be retained on their existing NHS terms and conditions of employment.
