A SHAKE-UP of services by a health group could see three of its four local surgeries replaced with one state-of-the-art medical centre.

Auckland Medical Group hopes to centralise its services by moving to a modern purpose built base in Bishop Auckland.

The move, which is the group's preferred option for redevelopment, would mean closing sites in the villages of St Helen Auckland and Coundon and at Cockton Hill Road, in Bishop Auckland.

Its fourth existing site, in Toft Hill, would stay open after the proposed move.

The group says its wants to provide the best possible modern health care to all its patients but that some of its current facilities are out of date.

It believes that relocating most of its services to a main base would improve communication, staffing, help recruit high quality staff and provide better health care.

Before a decision is made there will be three months of public consultation with patients and local residents. This will include public meetings at Manor House Hotel, West Auckland, January 11; Elgar Room, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, January 18 and the Community Centre, Wilson Avenue, Coundon, January 25. All meetings will start at 7pm.

If the new base, on Watling Road, is built it would offer the full range of primary care services to all patients and possibly a practice-based operating suite where GPs, with full surgical qualifications, could carry out surgical procedures.

Durham Dales Primary Care Trust and the practice have considered where patients live, transport links, available land, new housing, opportunities for service development and the Disability Discrimination Act.

Andrew Kenworthy, chief executive of the trust, said: "The trust agrees that moving the Auckland Medical Group base and building a new medical centre is the best way for the practice to provide the best possible modern health care to all its patients.

"We want local people to help us determine the future of services provided by the group so we can provide services that will be of most benefit and value to the community."

Copies of the consultation document are available by calling (01388) 458835.