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South Lakes mental health ward to close

The Kentmere Ward at the Westmorland General Hospital is shutting next month, after a Care Quality Commission report said the unit didn't meet expected standards.

But local people and politicians have launched a campaign to save it.

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Hundreds sign petition against mental health ward closure

Tim Farron collects signatures in Kendal. Credit: Tim Farron.

More than 1,500 people have signed a petition against the closure of a mental health ward in Kendal.

The Kentmere Unit at the Westmorland General Hospital is to be closed from the end of June because a Care Quality Commission report found it didn't meet safety standards.

Local MP Tim Farron has set up a petition against the closure of the ward, and it was signed by more than 1,500 local people in the first week.

He says the CQC report did not call for the ward to be closed, and is urging Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to reconsider the closure.

The response to the petition shows that there is overwhelming public backing for the ward, and I will continue to fight against the closure.

The CQC’s report highlighted a number of issues about the physical environment at the ward, but it stopped a long way short of calling for the ward to close. Although certain improvements must be made, these services must not be taken away from South Lakeland.

– Tim Farron MP

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