Calls for upgrade of “ageing but amazing” hospital raised in Parliament during first virtual Prime Minister's Questions session

Stockton South MP Matt Vickers asked the Government whether it would put money into the hospital, which treats patients from Hartlepool and East Durham, during a virtual session in the House of Commons on Wednesday, April 22.

The hospital, built in phases between 1965 and 1974, is beginning to show its age in parts.

And Mr Vickers offered his question to Dominic Raab during the first “virtual PMQs” through a Zoom online connection.

Mr Vickers said: “Would he be willing to look at the case for capital investment in the ageing but amazing and award-winning North Tees Hospital?”

Mr Raab replied: “In relation specifically to North Tees, we would encourage the trust to continue to develop their plans and priorities for new local NHS infrastructure and will be looking very carefully at all of those.”

Early proposals for a “super hospital” north of the Tees were first aired in 2003 – setting off a string of false dawns in the following decade.

Funding for a new £463m site at Wynyard was scrapped by the newly-elected coalition Government in 2010.

Fresh doubts over where the money for the scheme would come meant the idea was shelved once again in 2014.

Investments have come since then to upgrade parts of the site – with the arrival of the award-winning Urgent Care Centre in 2017.

Neighbouring South Tees Hospitals NHS trust has seen a promise that £144m of its debt will be written off to help it through the coronavirus crisis and beyond.

Mr Vickers was keen to see North Tees benefit so hard working staff would get “the state of the art facilities and resources they deserved”.

He added: “I’m determined to ensure Stockton’s local hospital gets a share of the government’s record breaking investment in the NHS.

“Across Stockton, the workforce at the hospital are admired for their commitment and determination and the coronavirus acts to remind us of the work of our amazing hospital.

“There is the potential to make real improvements on the site and I have spoken to relevant ministers and met with representatives of the trust and am determined to see that potential fulfilled.

“I will not stop pushing the Government on this until we get it done.”

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has long campaigned to see a new hospital come to the town.

The Labour MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he’d spoken to trust leaders and the health minister alongside Mr Vickers a month or so ago for talks about the site.

And Mr Cunningham welcomed anything which pushed the idea of a new hospital forward.

He said: “I’ve always been banging on about the health inequalities in the borough – where we’ve got a 12, 13 or 14 year difference in life expectancy between Tilery and Wynyard.

“Having a new hospital would attract top consultants and help us deal with some of that.”

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