UHMBT said one in four beds at the hospital were currently occupied by patients who should be receiving support elsewhere.

Anna Telfer, chief nursing officer, UHMBT, said: ‘Once we have clear evidence that the right services are in place and working effectively, we are proposing to close two inpatient wards at the RLI. This would happen in phases and only when we are confident it is safe to do so.'

Telfer said the trust was working with Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB and other partners to strengthen services both in and outside hospital, including expanding its range of care closer to home services.

She commented: ‘This includes rapid community response teams, virtual wards providing hospital-level care at home, improved same-day and urgent care services, additional rehabilitation capacity, and enhanced staffing and support across our emergency departments.

‘In addition, funding for GP practices in Morecambe Bay has increased from £2.9m to almost £10m. This has allowed services to be standardised across practices and expanded the range of care available locally, including support for people with long‑term conditions, dementia and end‑of‑life care, wound care, and diabetes and anti‑coagulation services.​'