A BEAMING Alan Milburn told nursing lecturers he was "absolutely delighted" to be opening the £8m School of Health building on Teesside.

Speaking at a packed lecture theatre at Teesside University, the Health Secretary said the impressive Centuria building would play a vital role in providing the extra nurses and health professionals needed in the expanded NHS.

Mr Milburn said it was "hugely important" to realise the potential of NHS staff and ensure they had the best possible training.

Front line health workers had to have support so they could be "working smarter" rather than working harder, he said.

The North-East, with its higher proportion of early deaths and ill health than in the rest of the country, had a particularly important part to play in training future generations of health workers, the Health Secretary said.

He called for the breaking down of traditional barriers between doctors, nurses and other health professionals and a much closer working relationship between health and social services.

Ken Jarrold, chief executive of County Durham and Darlington Health Authority and chairman of the Durham and Teesside Education and Training Consortium, said he wanted to thank the Health Secretary for providing the extra cash to allow local health authorities to dramatically increase training funds.

Mr Milburn toured the building, which is lavishly equipped with computers and teaching aids.

Student radiologist Emma Benton, 19, from Middlesbrough, said: "Compared to the building we used to be taught in this is fantastic."

Afterwards, Mr Milburn officially opened a new community centre serving the Red Hall estate in his constituency of Darlington