THOUSANDS of patients in the region will be taken to hospital by private ambulances after a recently formed company won a major contract.

Until now, most patients in the region have been transported to and from hospital appointments by NHS ambulances.

But thanks to greater competition in healthcare, a private company that only had one ambulance five years ago has won the contract to provide transport for 15,000 patients.

The contract won by Medical Services (North-East) Limited (MSNE), of South Church, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, is with private medical company Bupa.

It follows the award of a major contract to treat NHS patients to the Bupa group.

Because Bupa needs to build a treatment centre next to North Tyneside General Hospital and to extend its existing hospital in Washington, Wearside, to fulfil the terms of the contract, the NHS has agreed to allow Bupa to hire part of the recently-built NHS Surgery Centre in Gateshead to see patients.

MSNE successfully bid for the passenger transport contract in competition with the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The company was set up by former car dealer Wayne Hall, from Woodham, near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham and his fiancee, Joanne Bielock.

From small beginnings, with one second-hand ex-NHS Mercedes ambulance and five staff, the company has grown to eight modern Renault and Fiat ambulances and 18 staff.

The first significant contract for MSNE was to provide a discharge service for patients using the University Hospital of North Durham.

Since then, the business has expanded by leaps and bounds and the MSNE now provides patient transport services for four primary care trusts on Teesside and Cleveland and the acute trust which runs Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham.

The MSNE contract with Bupa, which involves taking patients from south of the Tyne and Wearside to the Gateshead surgery centre, is just part of the deal.

In a year's time - when the Bupa hospital on North Tyneside is expected to open alongside the revamped Bupa hospital in Washington - MSNE will have the contract for ferrying thousands of NHS patients from north of the Tyne to these treatment centres.

"It is going really well," said Mr Hall, who plans to take on more staff and acquire more ambulances to meet growing demand.