A COMMUNITY has joined forces to jointly oppose planned permanent closures to a hospital ward that they were told was temporary.

At a special meeting of Barnard Castle Town Council on Monday, concerned councillors discussed plans for the Richardson Hospital with executives from County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CCDFT) and Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

It is proposed that the number of commissioned beds on Starling Ward will be reduced from 24 to 16 and the Lowson Ward, which has been shut since summer 2015, remain closed permanently.

The Friends of Richardson Hospital, an independent local charity, said the plans would render a “considerable part of the hospital building unused”.

It added: “We are especially concerned for staff affected by these developments. Our main concern has to be for the continuation of community services including sufficient commissioned in-patient beds to meet local community needs.”

The unveiling of the plans follows news that maternity services at Darlington Memorial Hospital are at risk of closure as are two mental health wards at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton.

Town councillors have criticised the plans for the Richardson Hospital, accusing the CDDFT of deliberately withholding the plans from the public.

Cllr John Blissett said: “Why the veil of secrecy on the previous meeting?

"This is our community, the Dales, and it (the hospital) should be retained and patients from the area should have the opportunity of coming here instead of being directed to other hospital care homes.”

Noel Scanlon, executive director of nursing at CDDFT, said: “We pride ourselves on consulting with our staff not in the public domain.

“It would be entirely inappropriate for members of our staff to read in the local newspaper any plans we had around the future of their employment.

“The background is based on commissioning demand and we think with some degree of comfort that the patients that reside in Barnard Castle and Teesdale would not be disadvantaged by the reductions.

“We believe very strongly that with the increased provision in intermediate care, both within the ward and within the community, the residents in this district are well served by the health care commissioners.”

Barnard Castle Town Mayor Sandra Moorhouse said: “The town council on behalf of its residents and the local community object strongly to the proposals to reduce the Richardson Hospital’s capacity to 16 with the loss of care and jobs this will cause.

“It also objects to the plans being put in place with no public consultation and requests public participation take place as a matter of urgency.”

All councillors at the meeting voted unanimously to object to the plans.