TWELVE additional medical beds will be available at Darlington Memorial Hospital from this week.

The extra beds will provide increased capacity and reduce the need to place medical patients on non-medical wards such as general surgery.

Janet Probert, clinical manager for medicine at the hospital, said: "These extra beds are going to make a real difference to how we manage busy periods.

"Caring for patients with medical problems on surgical wards can be difficult, and the extra beds will greatly reduce the need to do this."

The new ward opens tomorrow and will create a 24-bed medical and surgical emergency admissions unit.

"The move follows a successful five-month pilot of a medical assessment unit at the hospital using existing beds."

The specialised assessment unit allows medical staff to asses and treat medical emergencies promptly.

If patients need further medical treatment they can be moved to the appropriate ward, but if they are well enough to return home, or need some other type of health or social care, this can also be arranged quickly.

In this way, beds are freed up for those who need them most.

Admitting patients to a dedicated unit also minimises disruption to other patients on other wards in the hospital.

The additional £300,000 per year funding to staff the extra ward is being provided by County Durham and Darlington Health Authority.

A medical admissions ward has also been working successfully as Bishop Auckland General Hospital for the past three years.

Faster assessments and speedier test results have meant patients who do not need to stay in hospital can return home again within 24 hours.

Dr Alan McCulloch, medical director and consultant physician at Bishop Auckland General, said: "Over the last three years the admissions ward has greatly benefited both patients and staff.

"Because patients are admitted to a dedicated ward it is much easier for doctors to carry out their assessments and patients are seen and treated more quickly."

There are teams in place in Darlington and Sedgefield which provide short-term care to elderly people in their own homes in times of crisis, and a similar team will be in place in the Dales by the winter.

The health care trust is also recruiting six nurses to a critical care outreach team, which will provide care and support to critically ill patients in ward environments