FEARS that the new Bishop Auckland General Hospital will not have a wide range of services when it opens next year have prompted MP Derek Foster to seek a meeting with Health Secretary Alan Milburn on December 7.
Mr Foster, Bishop Auckland MP, asked for the meeting after remarks made by the outgoing chairman of the North Durham NHS Trust, Kevin Earley.
He said the £67m hospital was a white elephant which would have limited services, a view disputed by South Durham NHS Trust officials.
Mr Foster said: "I will be seeking assurances from Alan Milburn that the widest possible range of medical and clinical services will continue to be delivered from the new hospital."
He said the Government had to ensure that rural areas like Teesdale, Wear Valley and Sedgefield did not suffer if hospital services were centralised
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