THE first baby hospice in the North-East has sparked a surge of interest from specialist nurses and could be treating seriously ill youngsters within weeks.

Zoe's Place Hospice for Special Babies has received applications from 15 registered children's nurses wanting to work at the centre, in Normanby, on Teesside.

Managers said they were stunned by the high number of applicants at a time when there is a national shortage of qualified people.

Positions have already been offered to three people and others could soon follow to make a staff of up to 20 part-time and 15 full-time nurses.

Hospice general manager Mark Guidery said that, within six or seven weeks, the facility could be opening on weekends. It would later develop to open a few days a week and eventually full-time.

He said: "There is already a waiting list of 15 families wanting to come in for respite and palliative care, and we are starting to get references from GPs and other organisations.

"We have got quite a lot of people coming in looking for positions here now, which is great because there is a real shortage right across the country."

Building work on the hospice, which is on the site of the former Crossbeck House convent, is due to be completed in the next three weeks.

The hospice was recently awarded £600,000 from the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund.

Mr Guidery said: "We have got the Lottery funding and that is great, but it can only go so far towards the overall running costs of the place, which will be about £400,000 a year.

"We have had great support from people in the North-East so far and, hopefully, that will continue."

The hospice will have five cots in individual rooms to provide daytime respite care for families.

It is only the second of its kind in the country. The other is Zoe's Place Hospice in Liverpool.