Patients unhappy at Wansbeck hospital plans

Alison Thomson, 58, a Newcastle College employee, said the health trust's proposals were worrying.

The mother-of-two, from North Shields, said: "My husband was admitted to North Tyneside General last year with a perforated bowel. I drove him to the hospital 10 minutes from where we live.

"Time is of the essence in an emergency and North Tyneside General is within quick and easy access to a huge amount of the population. I feel the new structure will endanger lives as ambulances will be required to travel from Cramlington."

Under the proposals, seriously ill patients will be taken to the new hospital to be seen by specialists. Once a patient's condition improves, they will be transferred to their local hospital.

Dad-of-two Ronnie Langston, 45, a softwear tester, of Ashington, said: "I don't see the benefit of changing existing services for an alternative hospital 10 or more miles away.

"I fear the removal of acute emergency care will impact heavily on the local general hospitals and could create the demise of other healthcare provisions within the hospitals."

The Specialist Emergency Care Hospital will have an emergency department, seven wards, intensive care and operating theatres. Consultant-led maternity services will also be provided and the special care baby unit will be moved there too.

Samantha Wright, pictured, whose son Daniel, now 13, was saved by North Tyneside General special care baby unit said she was upset a decision was made to close their unit last year and said it was disgraceful Wansbeck General would lose their special care baby service too.

Mrs Wright, 38, a civil servant, of Killingworth, said: "It's worrying to think babies will have to go all the way to Cramlington for the special care baby unit. It's a difficult enough time for parents and this will just add to their stress and anguish.

"Many would want their babies treated near their home but that choice has now been taken away from them as the new emergency hospital will be the only option available. It seems like the special care baby unit is being moved from place to place."

SERVICE BOOST

Health bosses at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said the new emergency care hospital would be a boost to patient services in the region.

The hospital will be paid for by a £60m Government loan, paid back over 25 years, and the rest by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It will be running by 2012.

Trust chief executive Jim Mackey said: "We provide excellent services now and this is our attempt at stepping up again.

"What we're trying to do is look at national and international best practice, see how we can do it, and this is our attempt at delivering that. We believe the outcomes for patients will be better and the standards of care will be virtually unrivalled."

Emergency medical consultant Chris Biggin said: "As a consultant, I want to be able to take the best practice available worldwide and offer this to patients in the area.

"To do this, I see a specialist emergency hospital as the logical next step. It will allow us to take emergency medicine to the next level."

Medical director David Evans added: "For the first time we will have a bit of breathing space at our base hospitals.

"To run a hospital that isn't constantly dealing with emergencies, that isn't having to divert staff and resources to deal with seriously-ill people alters the whole environment for the better, making it more relaxed."