HEALTH officials are finalising details to lease a former pub premises and turn it into a £1m super surgery.
The disused Blacketts public house will become the new headquarters of the Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT) as well as a medical practice. More than 150 staff will work there including doctors, district and school nurses and child health development officers.
Some of the services to be considered are a GP out-of-hours centre, specialist nurses for osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, asthma and diabetes, counselling for people with mental health problems, a young persons clinic, complementary medicine and occupational health.
Before the final services are decided there will be extensive consultation with the public and patient groups.
Director of Primary Care Carole Harder said she hoped the surgery would be copied by other trusts across the country.
She said: "We are trying to develop a model for all PCTs."
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