CAMPAIGNERS are still waiting for health chiefs to announce the closure date of a hospital unit for leukaemia sufferers.

Plans to shut the six-bed haematology ward at Darlington Memorial Hospital and merge it with a unit at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, in County Durham, are being considered.

The Darlington unit opened in the 1980s, thanks to a £300,000 fundraising campaign carried out in the town.

The proposals to close it sparked anger among original members of the fundraising committee, who accused County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust of failing to consult on the proposal.

Consultation was extended after a request from Darlington Borough Council.

But last night, a trust spokesman said a date had not been set for the matter to go before the board.