MP backs move to save Hartlepool's nearest A&E and vows to defend services

The University Hospital of North Tees North Tees or Darlington Memorial Hospital could have lost its A&E under NHS proposals looking at delivering certain services from specialist sites.

But local NHS leaders have said that following opposition from campaigners and other feedback both A&Es are set to remain as they are.

Mr Hill said: “For me it is a bitter irony that we celebrate fighting for the survival of a unit that has saved countless Hartlepool lives when we unnecessarily lost our own A&E years ago, but it is a place where our people work, where our patients go to for help and is the best performing unit in the region operating at a 97% success rate of hitting four hour turnaround targets set by the Government.

“At the end of the day you can’t put a price on health and to protect what we’ve got is so important for the people.

“It clearly will never be right that the people of Hartlepool, or Easington and East Durham folk for that matter, to have to go without an A&E at their own hospital but we are where we are; and to remove the next best option would be to further anger the people of the town.”

Alan Foster, chief executive of North Tees hospital and who is leading the Sustainability and Transformation plans for the region, said local clinicians are working across organisational boundaries “to build consensus on the right models of hospital, community and primary care”.

The NHS says it has to change to deal with the increasing number of people who have long term health conditions.

It also aims to provide greater support in communities to help people live in their own homes for as long as possible and prevent them from having to go into hospital.

Mr Hill said he is determined to protect local hospital services.

He added: “These are very awkward and delicate times when it comes to NHS funding and promoting what we have lost; but I am determined to defend and watch our hospital survive and grow.

“We may not get our A&E back, which we lost under dubious circumstances, but we will never let our hospital collapse and our services diminish again.

“The red lines of local health campaigners need to be listened to and recognised once and for all.”