Andy Burnham has committed to holding talks over a long-promised A&E extension at a North East hospital. An extension at the University Hospital of North Durham's emergency department received planning permission almost a decade ago, but plans have stalled over finances.
Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy raised the issue with the Prime Minister in the Commons on Wednesday, saying that the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust could no longer fund the development itself. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, she said: "The latest disappointment for my constituents is the withdrawal of the planned A&E expansion, which the trust can no longer fund without external capital support."
Prime Minister agrees to meeting
Ms Foy called the delayed plans an "urgently-needed improvement", before the Prime Minister agreed to a meeting about the issue. Mr Burnham said: "I am prepared to meet to discuss the situation with hospital services in the North East and I will make sure that happens soon."
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Steve Russell admitted earlier this year that the existing A&E was "not fit for purpose". The emergency department was originally designed to deal with around 30,000 patients a year but now sees up to 79,000 annually.
Funding and planning delays
Mr Russell said: "Staff do an incredible job, but we are uncomfortable with the environment in which they work, and patients receive care."
Plans to expand the department have been years in the making. Planning permission was first granted for an extension in 2017, but this lapsed before an updated scheme was approved in January 2023. The later plans included a two-storey extension next to the existing emergency department, but construction never began and that planning permission has also now expired.
The trust had developed a business case for the scheme and expected to borrow the money needed to build it. However, Mr Russell said the required funding was never made available, while the estimated cost of the development rose to between £60m and £80m. He said the trust would now have to start again, adding that "something must be done" at the Durham hospital site.
Breast cancer services review
During PMQs, Ms Foy also raised the ongoing scandal surrounding breast cancer services at the trust. An independent review led by governance expert Mary Aubrey found years of missed warnings, ignored red flags and "systemic failures".
The trust has since said hundreds of patients were harmed, including 20 women who underwent unnecessary mastectomies. Its patient review is being extended further back and could eventually examine the cases of around 4,500 women treated between 2015 and 2025.
The Prime Minister said: "I know there are thousands of women in the North East affected by the breast surgery scandal that she mentions, and I will ensure that the Health Secretary provides all of the support that they need to get the support and the answers that they must have."
