Refurbishment work to improve the patient experience and ensure better privacy and dignity for inpatients is due to begin at Brampton hospital.

Significant refurbishment is set to begin in June and to take around six months to complete.

The extent of the works means that the ward will close during this time.

It is expected that most Brampton staff will join the Brampton /Longtown and Carlisle community health teams until the work is completed. This will help bolster the out of hospital care that is available in Carlisle, Brampton and Longtown and help reduce hospital admissions.

Prof John Howarth, deputy chief executive of Cumbria Partnership and North Cumbria NHS Trusts said:

“We are in the middle of a complex programme of work to deliver improvement plans for community hospitals across north Cumbria.  We have made significant progress so far with Maryport, Alston and Wigton hospitals all working successfully to community models, increasing beds numbers at Workington and are in the process of refurbishing Keswick Hospital.

“The works at Brampton will increase the bed base there to 16 and will be a much improved area for patients and staff bringing it right up to date, particularly in relation to giving patients the privacy that is expected in the 21st century.”

“We are very grateful to the ward staff during this time as we know that, even temporary change can be unsettling.”

Brampton hospital will continue to deliver all other services including outpatient services, physiotherapy and podiatry clinics and children and midwifery clinics.

The Trust had hoped to be able to undertake the works at Penrith hospital at the same time, however, in order to ensure that we maximise the availability of beds for our patients across north Cumbria while the works at Brampton are undertaken, work to refurbish Penrith Hospital will now take place in 2020.