MORE evidence has emerged that the region's newest hospital is struggling to cope, after a dramatic increase in the number of patients waiting to see specialists.

Health bosses have admitted that the privately-funded University Hospital of North Durham was probably built without enough space for beds to meet today's conditions.

Now, County Durham and Darlington Health Authority has released figures which show that the number of patients waiting 13 weeks or more for an appointment has jumped by 70 per cent since the end of March.

Problems at the £97m hospital, which opened in April, have led to the National Patient Access Team being called in to try to get the figures down.

While it has the latest in facilities, the medical and nursing teams are having to cope with larger numbers of patients, with 32 fewer beds than the old Dryburn Hospital.

According to tough new targets, the Durham City hospital should have had no more than 1,060 patients waiting for 13 weeks, at the end of July.

In reality, a total of 1,714 were waiting 13 or more weeks - 636 patients over target.

A spokesman for the authority said : "This major problem has been caused by an increase in GP referrals and an apparent shortage of capacity at the trust."

To tackle the problem, the trust is looking at ways of increasing its bed numbers, including a possible link-up with the private sector.

Local GPs and the trust will also study the reasons why demand has grown so rapidly.

As part of moves to free up more beds, the trust is planning to launch a publicity campaign aimed at persuading people in North Durham to use the minor injuries unit at Shotley Bridge Hospital for less urgent problems, rather than turning up at the new hospital's accident and emergency department.

A spokesman for the trust said the population of Derwentside "grossly under uses" the Shotley Bridge unit.

He said: "The situation we are facing does not have anything to do with private finance. The figures quoted are from before our move into our new outpatients department, which is bigger than in the old hospital and has scope for expansion."