QUESTIONS have been raised about the process being used to decide the future of hospital services in the region.

Two MPs have put aside their political differences to fight for the future of essential services at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

The town's Labour MP Jenny Chapman and Richmond’s Rishi Sunak, a Conservative, have written to the chief executive of NHS England to voice their concerns about the perceived bias of two key NHS managers involved in the shake-up.

In the letter, seen by The Northern Echo, the pair suggest that because the chairman of the body carrying out the re-organisation and another key manager involved have longstanding links to one of the hospitals – the University Hospital of North Tees – the process is perceived to be biased in favour of the Stockton hospital.

The MPs write: "So, the two people leading the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) process to decide which of two hospitals will be downgraded both have longstanding –over a decade – personal and professional links with one of the hospitals in question – North Tees. We are sure you can appreciate the concern this is rightly causing us and our constituents."

The chairman of the STP Board, Alan Foster, is the longstanding chief executive of the North Tees NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the North Tees hospital.

The STP's key officer responsible for the work on acute hospital reconfiguration, Mrs Ali Wilson, is also chief officer of the North Tees Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – the body which purchases health services in the area.

In addition Mrs Wilson is also interim chief officer of the Darlington CCG and will have influence over how the CCG's vote is cast when the decision about the final version of the STP and the hospitals' future is decided.

There have been fears over services since a draft of the region’s (STP) was published, prompted by NHS England, which could see the Darlington hospital lose its accident and emergency and other departments.

The letter continues: "It is entirely natural, human and understandable that these two individuals will have an emotional attachment to the hospital and area they have lived and worked in for a long time. It would in fact be stranger if they did not.

"But because of this, it cannot be appropriate for these same people to be the ones in charge of the process to decides whether their hospital or another is downgraded.

"This just defies logic and does not pass the common sense test."

In the draft STP for the southern County Durham, Darlington, Tees Valley and northern North Yorkshire areas the James Cook University Hospital at Middlesbrough would retain its status as the main regional hospital dealing with emergencies and trauma. Either Darlington or North Tees hospital would be the second emergency hospital for the region.

NHS England and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust have been contacted for comment.