OUTLINE plans for a shake-up of hospital services on Teesside are to be scrutinised by an independent panel of experts.

Health and social service bosses on Teesside are in the midst of a review of NHS services, which is likely to lead to dramatic changes.

Fears are being voiced that the changes - largely forced on health services by restrictions being placed on the working hours of doctors - will lead to the closure of the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

Rumours about the fate of Hartlepool hospital led to a statement by Ken Jarrold, chief executive of County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority, which said that people were "jumping to conclusions" if they thought plans to reduce the number of hospitals on Teesside from two to three would inevitably lead to the closure of the Hartlepool site.

But one option may be to create a completely new hospital north of the river.

This may lead to an option of closing the general hospitals in Hartlepool and Stockton and building a hospital on a greenfield site.

While no decision has yet been taken on how services are to change, an eight-strong panel of health experts from outside the region, including Professor George Alberti, national clinical director for emergency care, and Dr David Colin-Thome, national clinical director for primary care, will visit Teesside in early December to review progress and offer advice.

Following a meeting of the Tees Service Review Steering Group, on November 18, it was agreed that the group would have to "give careful consideration" to the panel's advice, look at the work needed to be carried out and consider timescales.

The next Steering Group meeting is scheduled for December 16, at the health authority's headquarters, in Stockton.