DURHAM City's MP Gerry Steinberg has taken up a fight on behalf of villagers in danger of losing healthcare services.

Until now those residents of Kelloe and Quarrington Hill have been able to access chiropody care in neighbouring Coxhoe.

But with their Thornley-based GP moving into the Easington Primary Care Trust area, they have been told they must seek treatment at Hartlepool and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust.

The decision has angered Mr Steinberg who has promised to protect patients' interests in the two villages.

He said: "I'm determined to ensure that the residents of Kelloe and Quarrington Hill are not unfairly disadvantaged by the withdrawal of access to local clinic services.

"It is unreasonable to expect patients to travel many miles where there are appropriate facilities on the doorstep.

"These changes will have a serious and adverse impact on people who are already vulnerable, particularly elderly people and those without access to convenient transport."

He added that many villagers now have to access Easington Primary Care Trust services following the withdrawal of local health and GP services, despite living within the Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT area.

He said: "The withdrawal of the few convenient healthcare services available to them, simply because this is viewed as more beneficial to the trust is not acceptable.

"I have urged the PCT to reconsider the impact of these proposals on the people of Kellow and Quarrington Hill to ensure they are able to access the most appropriate and convenient services available, irrespective of the PCT boundary."

Roger Bolas, the chief executive of Easington PCT, and Andrew Young, the chief executive of Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT, said in a joint statement that the changes were a result of a review to improve services.

"As people who live in Kelloe and Quarrington Hill have their GPs and community nurses based in Thornley we thought it would be a sensible idea to streamline their care and we have made every attempt to accommodate people.

"All patients were written to and 45 people were identified as having a potential problem in getting to the Thornley clinic.

"Of those 45, 15 genuinely had a transport problem and following negotiations they will continue to have their services provided by Durham and Chester-le-Street.

"It is, therefore, a nonsense for it to be suggested that this is a withdrawal of services for the convenience of the PCT."