QUESTIONS have been raised about the effect the state of the pathology department at the Friarage hospital in Northallerton is having on the accuracy of clinical tests carried out there.

The concerns were raised at this week's meeting of Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust, when Mrs Jenny Carling asked the trustees about the state of the building and when it would be modernised.

The pathology department is housed in one of the old wooden huts at the hospital, which date back to the Second World War.

Mrs Carling said: "The state of your pathology labs is appalling, they just scraped through their last inspection and I understand the conditions under which the staff work are grim."

She added that she knew the staff carried out excellent work, but said she was concerned that the equipment they used was not reliable in hot weather.

"It's a worry that the test results are not as accurate as they could be."

The chairman of the board, Brig Johnny Wardle, explained that they had hoped that the department would have been included in modernisation plans.

He said the staff got good marks for their technical work in the recent inspection, but admitted that the department was criticised for the over-crowded conditions.

"It is very high on our list of priorities, if we can get modernisation money it will allow us to move forward, it is something we are very aware of and conscious about," he explained.

After the meeting the chief executive of the trust, Mr Bruce Skilbeck, said that extra efforts were made to keep the pathology equipment cool to ensure its accuracy.

He added that they hope to gain more capital for moderisation work once the current development to move the children's ward out of the old huts was completed.

"We decided we would address all the old parts of the building that treat or house patients first, and then pick up on non-patient areas next, such as the kitchens and labs, which are still housed in the wooden huts.