CONCERNS have been expressed about NHS plans for patients in North-West Durham to travel to Bishop Auckland - a 45-minute car drive and a two-bus journey from Stanley - for non-urgent operations.

But patients' watchdog the North Durham Community Health Council (CHC) looks likely to signify its qualified approval of the plans.

NHS workers have stressed that imaging and diagnostic equipment at Shotley Bridge Hospital will be upgraded and no one will be forced to travel to Bishop Auckland if plans to merge the University Hospital of North Durham (UHND) in Durham City and the Bishop Auckland hospital are approved.

Instead, patients will be offered a choice of hospitals for surgery such as hip operations, but with a warning that it might take longer for non-urgent surgery at Durham's £97m hospital rather than at a dedicated surgical room at Bishop Auckland's £67m infirmary.

The proposals form part of plans put together by Professor Ara Darzi, who has completed a study of healthcare in the county, and has been criticised in a meet-the-people consultation process.

Alex Watson, leader of Derwentside District Council, said dozens of people had been outraged when the issue was discussed at a recent public meeting at Shotley Bridge Hospital.

He said many were still unhappy that Shotley Bridge Hospital had been downgraded in the 1990s from a general hospital to a community hospital used mainly for diagnoses and convalescence.

He said: "The plans have not been well-received at all well, in fact people were very angry. People felt isolated and have lost confidence in the NHS altogether. Those concerns should be taken on board by the NHS."

Eric Turner, former chairman of the North Durham CHC and now a non-executive director on the Primary Care Trust for Derwentside, said: "I feel that the travel issue, particularly for people without transport, is still a matter of major concern for people across North-West Durham."

But the new chairman of the CHC, Bill Davison - a cabinet member at Chester-le-Street District Council - said a number of discussions had taken place and that the new merger proposals, though far from perfect, formed the best deal that could be hoped for.

A spokesman for North Durham NHS Trust said members of the public could write to the chief executive at UHND with suggestions or criticisms.