A FORMER maternity unit where generations of south Durham babies were born has started a new life as a centre for elderly patients.

A £7m redevelopment has transformed the old Bishop Auckland General Hospital building into Auckland Park Hospital, providing specialist services for older people from the Wear Valley and Sedgefield areas.

It has 36 assessment and treatment beds, 16 beds for longer term care, a day hospital and outpatient clinics. Each of the 52 single rooms has en-suite facilities.

It is also a base for a team of community nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and social workers.

Patients and staff have moved from the Lady Eden unit in Bishop Auckland, Homelands Hospital, Crook, and the Hardwyke Ward at Sedgefield Community Hospital.

There are separate wards for people suffering from dementia and those with other forms of mental illness so that their different needs can be catered for.

Jo Turnbull, chairman of County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust, said: "Older people with mental health problems have very special needs and this unit was specifically redesigned to meet those needs. Everyone involved with this project has worked hard to ensure its success and the result is a truly first class facility."