A PATIENT has warned health chiefs that there will be 'blood on your hands' if they proceed with controversial plans to reform hospital services across the region.

The stark warning was issued during today's unprecedented inquiry by Darlington Borough Council into the draft NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).

The inquiry - which ended with a unanimous council motion to oppose and challenge the STP - also heard from a consultant at Darlington Memorial Hospital who branded the proposals as "foolish".

More than 20 speakers – including medical experts, campaigners, councillors and patients – outlined their significant concerns over the proposals that could see Darlington Memorial Hospital (DMH) or Stockton's University Hospital of North Tees lose its A&E department.

In light of the evidence, the council is calling upon Darlington’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to urgently revisit its proposals and to retain a full A&E and consultant-led maternity and paediatric services at DMH.

The motion echoed concerns raised by the majority of speakers, detailing possible health risks to patients as a result of longer journey times to hospital and issues for those travelling further to visit patients.

The proposals, which would rely heavily on social care provision for out of hospital care, were also criticised for putting more pressure on already stretched services and not thoroughly considering the challenges of caring for a growing elderly population.

Campaigners accused health chiefs of pitting one hospital against another, with veteran activist Jo Land from 999 Call for the NHS encouraging opposition of the entire STP.

A lack of sufficient evidence to support the case for major change at hospitals across the region was highlighted, with a number of speakers at the inquiry accusing hospital chiefs of displaying a lack of transparency throughout the process.

Among those raising concerns were Jerry Murphy, a consultant at DMH and consultant psychiatrist Bunny Forsyth from Middlesbrough’s Roseberry Park Hospital.

Prof Murphy claimed there was no consensus from clinicians at DMH to back the proposals he branded as "foolish".

Accusing those behind the proposals of failing to consult adequately with staff, he said: “There is no clinical consensus whatsoever.

“People are far from happy, I emailed colleagues and got more than 40 replies but I’m yet to get one that is supportive of these proposals.”

Dr Forsyth said rural patients should not have to face significant journey times when accessing urgent hospital services and claimed that reducing three emergency departments to two would lead to an unsafe influx of patients at whichever A&E departments remained.

Politicians at the inquiry included Darlington’s MP Jenny Chapman, Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman and councillors from across the region.

Ms Chapman, who is leading the Save Our Services campaign, said: “I will fight until I have no breath left in me to save this hospital.

“We have not been provided with evidence that shows how there will be better outcomes from this.

“This is not about parochialism or heartfelt pleas, this is about a failure to make a case well enough to give us the confidence to support it.”

Brittle asthma sufferer Christine Kingsland, who regularly travels from Catterick to DMH for life-saving treatment, issued a stark warning for those behind the plans.

She said: “I can only just make it to Darlington where they save my life every time – there is no way I could make it to another hospital in time, which would leave my husband a widower and my children without a mother.

“Closing A&E is not feasible for people like me – it would be a life and death situation and there will be blood on someone’s hands.”

Darlington councillor Ian Haszeldine added: “The proposals on the table endanger every life in this borough and the surrounding area, it will be putting lives at risk.”

Ali Wilson, who is part of the team leading the STP locally, said all points raised throughout the inquiry would be considered.

She stressed that no decisions had been made in relation to the proposals and that further consultation would follow.

She added: “We are still developing plans and taking into consideration a huge range of issues.

“We have been taking down as much information as possible and that will be included in the work that we do.

“We’ve heard some individual stories and I sometimes think they can be lost in some of the events we have.

“We are attempting to get to all reaches and parts of the population and we will continue to listen.

“We know people are keen to see details and so are we – we have work being done that is helping us to understand what strands we want to develop but we are still working through the details of how the plan works, what it will look like and the different scenarios we face.

“This inquiry has helped us to focus on areas of most concern.”