CONCERNS have been raised about the future of the Urgent Care Centre at Bishop Auckland Hospital.

The facility was one of the issues discussed during a public meeting into the future of the hospital hosted by MP Helen Goodman and attended by members of the Durham and Darlington Hospital NHS Trust.

Around 200 people packed into Bishop Auckland Town Hall on Monday (January 18) to hear Trust Chief Executive Sue Jacques say there could be some changes to the future of the Urgent Care facility, but no decisions had been made and consultation had yet to be carried out.

Some members of the public compared to the meeting to a similar event five years ago to discuss the future of the hospital’s Accident and Emergency department, which ended up closing.

One man said: “We have been down this road before.

“We want reassurances that the same thing isn’t going to happen again in a year’s time.”

There were some suggestions that GP surgeries could open on a Saturday morning to answer demand for appointments as part of changes to the facility.

Ms Goodman said: “We would not have 24-hour cover.

"People know the Urgent Care Centre is there, it is easy to access and that is a big thing in its favour.”

Anita Savory, county councillor for Weardale, stressed the importance of the facility for people living in Weardale and Teesdale as she said services were getting ever further away from residents in those rural communities.

She said: “I think this is just a softly, softly way of introducing us to taking the Urgent Care Centre away.”

Lesley Zair, who lives in Bishop Auckland, added: “If you go to Darlington (Memorial Hospital) and see the ambulances backed up outside the A&E you will see why we need our Urgent Care Centre and an A&E in Bishop Auckland.”

Concerns were also expressed about the changes to breast surgery services at the hospital, the closure of the Midwife Led Unit, ambulance response times and car parking and charges.

Ms Jacques said that £410,000 had been invested in a specialist, state-of-the-art simulation unit at the hospital to help with staff training and £500,000 had been invested into orthopaedic surgeries at the establishment.

She said: “It is a centre of excellence and a very popular hospital with local patients and slightly wider afield.

“Healthcare is changing – the clinical techniques available to us are changing and it is important that we prioritise patient safety and high quality care.”

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