A HOSPITAL that has lost services to its NHS neighbours could have an extra role as a private treatment centre.
Bishop Auckland General Hospital is a potential site for a new privately-run centre. It could mean patients from County Durham and Teesside travelling to a new private unit at Bishop Auckland for simple operations.
County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority is planning to pay the private sector an extra £20m a year over the next few years to treat thousands of NHS patients. This will mean a private sector treatment centre will have to be established in County Durham or Teesside.
Bishop Auckland is one of several potential locations identified. The first operations at the new centre could take place as early as September next year if there is no need to build new premises.
Since the £67m hospital opened in 2000, it has lost out in NHS reorganisations that have resulted in consultant-led obstetrics, paediatrics and much major surgery moving to neighbouring Darlington Memorial Hospital.
Two years ago, the Bishop Auckland hospital became home to an NHS 'hip factory' to reduce waiting lists for hip and knee replacements.That experiment appears to have been a success.
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