MP fuels row over new hospital plan

Thirty-nine clinical directors, professors and consultants, including Prof Sir Alan Craft, former president of Royal College of Paediatrics and a consultant paediatrician at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, have aired their concerns about patient safety and the potential misuse of public funds.

In particular, they are worried about what they describe as the downgrading of existing medical cover provided by North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham general hospitals.

Serious emergency care, consultant-led maternity services and special care baby units would be moved from North Tyneside and Wansbeck to the acute care site.

But last night Mr Campbell said: "I think it's a brilliant idea to have a specialist emergency hospital in Northumberland and I don't know why Newcastle Hospitals Trust is so against it.

"I appreciate there may be competition between the two trusts and Newcastle will feel they will lose patients, but the Newcastle Trust wants to run all the health services in the region and as far as I'm concerned they're not running Northumberland.

"I strongly support the plans for the new emergency hospital. It will make our health services a lot better and is of huge benefit to those living in the area."

He added: "It is turning into a turf war between the two Trusts and this is totally unacceptable.

"We should be focusing on what's best for patients in the North East, not what's best for the Trusts.

"I'm sick of Northumberland being left in the dark when it comes to getting the best health services available. All the key people involved in the region's healthcare should sit around a big table and discuss the issue, working together for the best of patients."

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is preparing to open a new trauma facility in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, designed to offer the best in surgical, anaesthetic and radiological care. The Trust says the unit will offer world-leading emergency services under one roof.

The Great North Children's Hospital, based at the RVI, also opens fully next year, with all children's services available under one roof for the first time in the North East.

Sir Len Fenwick, chief executive of Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are supportive of Northumbria Healthcare but the issue we have is in relation to location rather than content of services.

"The new hospital would be very close to existing facilities that already offer world-class services. It is up to NHS North of Tyne and the Strategic Health Authority to review and address these concerns."

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust plans to spend £75m building the specialist emergency care hospital.

A further £125m would be spent upgrading North Tyneside and Wansbeck general hospitals in the 10-year plan, while community hospitals in Berwick, Haltwhistle and Morpeth would be improved.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said under the proposals, seriously ill patients would be taken straight to the new hospital to be seen by experts who specialise in their condition.

Dave Evans, medical director for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "These proposals have been developed to improve healthcare for the local communities we serve and we are confident they will do this."