AN improved bus service has been launched to connect two Teesside hospitals.

Stagecoach North-East will run the buses connecting the University Hospitals of North Tees, Hartlepool and James Cook, in Middlsbrough.

Service One runs from the Hartlepool hospital to the James Cook every half hour via The Clarences on weekdays, while service 37 from the North Tees will now continue to the James Cook Hospital every half hour on weekdays.

The services are being funded through a £730,000 grant from the Government's Urban Bus Challenge scheme, which was secured by the Stockton Bus Quality Partnership and partners Stagecoach, Hartlepool Borough Council and the North Tees NHS Trust.

With other contributions, including a £600,000 commitment towards a hospital shuttle service by the trust, the total investment will be more than £2m.

Councillor Ann Cains, chairman of Stockton's health and social care select committee, said: "These services will not only make it easier for thousands of staff employed in the hospitals to get to work, but also improve access for many outpatients and people visiting friends and relatives, especially those who have a disability."

Stockton and Hartlepool councils will also be upgrading stops along the routes to accommodate the new low floor buses, which can easily be boarded by passengers in wheelchairs.