CONSTRUCTION work which will see a three-fold increase in bed numbers at a North-East private hospital has got under way.

Affinity Healthcare, owner of Middleton St George Hospital, near Darlington, has ambitious plans for the site.

The expansion plan, which will see the hospital increase its capacity from 47 to 168 beds, is being driven by the growing demand from the NHS for more mental health beds.

While the NHS in the region is geared up to provide short-term care and treatment, there is a chronic lack of beds in the public sector for patients who need mid to long-term treatment.

As part of the work, many of the hospital's older buildings will be demolished to make way for what Affinity Healthcare describe as "state-of-the-art patient suites, designed specifically to care for people with mental healthcare needs".

All the new buildings will be single-story making them easily accessible to patients with physical disabilities.

Affinity Healthcare bought the former care home complex, near Durham Tees Valley Airport, in 2000 and developed mental health care facilities, including a high dependency unit.

Six years on, the demand for longer-stay mental health treatment from the Scottish border down to Leeds is so great that the company is massively increasing capacity on the site.

A 24-bed suite will be built first on the site of the old general office, followed by a 72-bed unit.

A health and leisure facility, featuring a sports hall, astro-turf pitch and gymnasium, is also planned.

Hospital director Linda Stephens said: "Exciting times are ahead as the hospital continues to expand. Middleton St George Hospital will soon be able to provide some of the best care and facilities in the country."

West Park Hospital opened on the outskirts of Darlington in 2004, but it has no more beds than the Pierremont unit it replaced.

Further north, a similar mental health hospital is planned in Durham City but is expected to have the same number of beds as the old County Hospital.

When the expanded Middleton St George hospital is fully open, staffing levels will increase from 200 to about 500.