CLINICAL ASSESSMENT, TREATMENT AND SUPPORT CENTRES IN CUMBRIA

That this House believes that the current proposals by Cumbria and Lancashire Primary Care Trust to put ear, nose and throat (ENT) provision in clinical assessment, treatment and support (CATS) centres could be damaging to the overall provision of ear, nose and throat services in Cumbria; considers that there is only a six-week waiting list for ENT consultation in Cumbria, that the current locations providing this service offer better patient access than the proposed CATS ones and that the proposals fail to take account of those suffering from chronic ENT problems, who would not be eligible for quick fix CATS services; and calls on the Government not to proceed with the CATS experiment for ENT provision in Cumbria.