West Cumberland Hospital

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West Cumberland Hospital is a hospital in Hensingham, a suburb of Whitehaven in Cumbria, England. It serves 140,000 residents of West Cumbria. It is under the management of the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, who also manage the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. The Trust has been put in Special Measures by the Care Quality Commission. West North and East Cumbria is one of three Success Regime areas in England, where serious problems in the health and care system are being addressed in expedited programs set up by NHS England.A campaign group is fighting to maintain hospital services at the West Cumberland Hospital, many of which have been moved to the Cumberland Infirmary, 40 miles away from the population centres of the West Cumbrian coast.HistoryIn 1924, the Earl of Lonsdale sold Whitehaven Castle to Mr H. Walker, who then donated the building to the people of Cumbria, along with monies to convert it into a hospital to replace the Victorian Whitehaven Hospital.By 1951, the hospital needed replacing, and representation were made to the UK Government. In 1957, approval was given to break ground on a new hospital, the first built in England following the creation of the National Health Service. It was officially opened on 21 October 1964 by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Whitehaven Castle became a geriatric unit until 1986, when due to fire regulations, it had to close. It has now been converted to housing. West Cumberland Hospital a major part of West Cumbria it has been an established hospital and training facility since 1924.