Ten people were taken ill after an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning in a North-East hospital's restaurant.

The victims - two needed hospital treatment - were staff and visitors who dined at Bede's Restaurant at the University of North Durham, Durham City, one lunchtime last November. All are said to have fully recovered.

No patients were affected as their meals are prepared in a separate kitchen.

An investigation into the outbreak, which has only now been made public, has been going on for some time and its findings are expected to be considered by the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust next month.

The restaurant is run by Consort Healthcare, the company that leases the hospital, which opened in 2001, to the trust under a controversial 30-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme.

The company is jointly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Balfour Beatty Group, whose subsidiaries built the hospital. A trust spokesman said: "Ten people were affected by an outbreak of food poisoning on November 16, 2003.

"This outbreak was associated with meals eaten at the restaurant at the University Hospital of North Durham.

"Two people were admitted to hospital. All those affected have made a full recovery. No patients were affected.

"The cases were investigated by an outbreak control team made up of local council environmental health officers, alongside experts from the trust, the Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust, and the Health Protection Agency.

"A report on the incident is being finalised. This will be presented to a public meeting of the trust board at the earliest possible opportunity.'' The spokesman added that it took time to carry out a thorough investigation.

A Consort Healthcare spokeswoman said the food poisoning was linked to one menu item.

"Since that time there have been no further reported occurrences.

"An environmental health officer has made a recent routine inspection, including the taking of food samples, and has made no further observation.''

Durham City Council, whose environmental health officers have been involved in the investigation, declined to comment.

Earlier this year the trust heard how experts could not identify the cause of a salmonella outbreak at the former Lau's Buffet King Chinese restaurant in North Road, Durham, last year that affected 138 people, 13 of whom needed hospital treatment.