CONTROVERSIAL plans to reduce the number of hospitals offering inpatient services for leukaemia sufferers have been widened.

Campaigners have fought against proposals to close the six-bed haematology ward at Darlington Memorial Hospital and merge it with a unit at Bishop Auckland General Hospital.

Now bosses at the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have announced that a review of inpatient haematology services will be extended to include the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City.

The haematology service provides care for patients with leukaemia and other disorders affecting the blood.

Every year, the County Durham trust treats about 600 haematology patients on an inpatient basis. Most are seen as outpatients and day cases.

The Darlington unit was opened in the 1980s after campaigners raised almost £300,000.

Medical director Bob Aitken said: "Earlier in the year, the trust began looking at the future of inpatient haematology in Darlington and Bishop Auckland Hospitals.

"Following these discussions, it has become clear that it would be prudent to consider this issue across the whole trust.

"This week, the trust board will discuss a proposal to widen the scope of the review.

"The review will consider whether we can maintain inpatient haematology services at all three local acute hospitals or whether some reorganisation is necessary. Most haematology patients are seen as outpatients and day cases, and we expect these to be unaffected by the review.

"The purpose of the review is to make sure we continue to offer a safe, high quality service to our patients."

Councillor Heather Scott from Darlington Borough Council, who chaired the fundraising committee which raised funds for the Darlington unit, said: "It will be interesting to see what the review entails. Whatever decision is taken it will still have to come back to our health scrutiny committee."