HOSPITAL officials have admitted they have ten months to recruit more specialist doctors or face having to close one of two acute stroke units.

Last week, The Northern Echo exclusively revealed that officials at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust had drawn up plans to concentrate acute stroke services in County Durham in Durham City – and close the Darlington unit – if they are unable to fill medical vacancies.

The story led to organisations representing older people in Darlington being inundated with phone calls from worried residents.

At the moment, emergency services for patients who have had a suspected stroke are provided at an eight-bed unit in Darlington Memorial Hospital and a 20-bed unit in the University Hospital of North Durham.

The threat to close the Darlington acute unit has come about because one of the trust’s four stroke specialists has handed in their resignation and another two are planning to retire by November.

Efforts to recruit consultants have so far been unsuccessful, but trust officials are still hopeful they will be able to recruit enough staff to keep both acute units open.

Hospitals are under pressure to introduce a round-the-clock emergency service to treat patients who have had a suspected stroke with clot-busting drugs.

Because of a shortage of stroke specialists, hospitals may have to concentrate emergency services on fewer sites or work with other NHS trusts.

Yesterday, officials from the trust warned a meeting of Darlington Borough Council’s health and wellbeing scrutiny committee that they may have to look at concentrating acute services if they cannot find the doctors they need.

Stephen Eames, chief executive of the County Durham and Darlington trust, told councillors: “Our preference is to deliver a 24/7 service from Darlington and Durham.”

But he said: “If we can’t put people in these posts from October onwards we have a problem.”

The trust has to find a permanent solution to the challenge of providing round-the-clock acute stroke care, he added.

Councillor Heather Scott said: “I would fight tooth and nail to make sure we have the best services here for our residents.”

Councillor Ian Hazeldine said he would join with other colleagues in fighting to keep services in Darlington.

He also called for a public meeting, to discuss the wider issues.

Any firm proposals to change the service would be subject to a threemonth public consultation.