Winter health

The trust has been working with its health and social care partners in County Durham and Darlington to develop plans for the winter.

Services in the community have been reviewed to ensure support is available to care for people at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

In addition, rapid response teams will be in place throughout the area to provide short-term care for people in their own homes in times of crisis.

An acute respiratory service will be piloted in Darlington, to give support to patients with severe breathing difficulties, including chronic bronchitis.

Community nurses are also being recruited to support the out-of-hours service, with a view to reducing inappropriate visits to the accident and emergency departments of hospitals.

Hospital services have also been assessed. New measures include:

l Ten extra beds have been opened at Darlington Memorial Hospital to provide increased capacity and reduce the need to place medical patients on non-medical wards.

l A medical admissions ward is now in place at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, while a medical and surgical assessment ward is operating at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

l An ortho-geriatric liaison nurse has been appointed, who is able to assess elderly patients on the orthopaedic wards. She will be able to arrange for patients to receive further treatment, or rehabilitation at a hospital closer to their homes, or can make arrangements for them to return home.

Health workers are also being offered influenza vaccinations and are being encouraged to take up the offer to help reduce sickness absences over winter.

Laura Robson, director of nursing and community services at the trust, said: "The work we did last year in preparing for the winter and holiday period really paid off.

"We were extremely busy but because of advanced planning we were able to manage the increased demand on our services much better.

"We have built on last year's successes and we hope that this year we will be better prepared than ever."