BOSSES at a North-East hospital trust are going on the road to find out what the public want from their health services.

Alan Foster, chief executive of the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, will make short presentations before answering questions from the audience at nine public meetings.

The burning question in the North Tees, Hartlepool, Sedgefield and East Durham areas is the future of the University Hospital of North Tees and the University Hospital of Hartlepool and whether they will be replaced by a £300m super-hospital at Wynyard.

Recently the North Tees and Hartlepool hospital trust announced it was putting the Wynyard Hospital project on hold until after May's general election.

Trust officials recently confirmed they are not seeking to centralise all hospital services at the North Tees Hospital site and plan to borrow funds to upgrade facilities at the two existing hospital sites.

Mr Foster said: “We wanted to take the opportunity to talk to the public about the new hospital and the benefits it will bring. We know that it is important to get people’s views. "

The first public meeting takes place at 10.30am on Monday November 17 at Hartlepool Central Library.

Other meetings will be held at: Watson Hall, Thornaby Pavilion (2.30pm November 20); All Saints School, Ingleby Barwick (5pm on November 20); Eaglescliffe Medical Practice (1pm on November 24); Stockton Baptist Tabernacle (1pm on November 26), Billingham Forum (4pm on November 26); Easington Social Welfare Centre (1pm on November 28), Peterlee Leisure Centre (5pm on November 28) and at Sedgefield Parish Hall (11am on December 1).