A LACK of beds combined with a surge in demand is causing severe problems at the region's newest hospital.

Bosses at the privately-financed University Hospital of North Durham have called for urgent talks with health authorities and local GPs about the situation.

The University Hospital was built to replace Durham's Dryburn Hospital but, because it has 32 fewer beds, it is struggling to cope with demand.

It is also struggling because eight more surgical beds are temporarily out of action because of reorganisation.

Critics of the Government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) say the cost of the scheme has resulted in the downsizing of the next generation of new hospitals.

To make matters worse, figures produced by the North Durham Health Care NHS Trust show that referrals of new patients from local GPs is increasing by more than 1,100 per month, going up at "an unprecedented rate".

Doctors and nurses have also had to cope with record levels of emergency methods and severe so-called "bed-blocking" problems due to delays in securing social services funding for care home places.

In a letter to the NHS Northern and Yorkshire Executive in Durham - the regional office of the Department of Health - trust chief executive Stephen Mason said the hospital "remains under severe pressure with reduced bed numbers."

He said there was "particular concern" about lengthening waits for outpatient appointments. Patients waiting for more than 13 weeks to see a gynaecologist increased from 57 at the end of March to 471 at the end of June.

While staff laid on extra evening and weekend clinics to offset disruption caused by the transfer from the old Dryburn Hospital to the new site, in April, the staff are now "quite simply, tired", said Mr Mason.

Despite the problems, the chief executive said the trust was "pursuing all avenues" to improve the situation.