PEOPLE are being invited to hear how well their local hospitals are doing when health chiefs hold their annual meeting.

The County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust will meet on Wednesday, September 28, at 9am, at Chester-le-Street Community Hospital.

Copies of the trust's annual report and a summary of its accounts will be available for members of the public.

A spokesman for the trust said the report gave details of an "excellent performance'' in the past year that led to the Healthcare Commission giving the trust three stars in July.

There had been significant reductions in the time that patients wait for operations and outpatient appointments.

There had also been large improvements in waiting times in the accident departments in Durham, Darlington and Bishop Auckland.

The spokesman added that the trust finished the last financial year with a surplus of £338,000.

The trust's acting chairman, Tony Wolfe, said: "The meeting is a good opportunity for the public to find out how their local hospitals are performing.

"We have delivered a strong performance over the past year, and are working hard to improve services even further over the next 12 months."