A DECISION about whether to close a day surgery unit at a community hospital in north Durham is to be made in Darlington.

The board of County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust will discuss the future services at Shotley Bridge Hospital, near Consett, on Wednesday.

The trust is proposing to provide the service from the University Hospital of North Durham instead.

The meeting was to be at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, but it will now be held in the executive boardroom at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Derwentside District Council voted unanimously to pass a motion calling on the trust to rethink its plans.

Council leader Councillor Alex Watson is to address board members before they make their decision.

He said: "We were told that were going to get a super community hospital at Shotley Bridge and we are being let down.

"This is a scandal and a betrayal.

"I was at the recent public meeting in Consett and everyone was vociferous about their feelings. There is public outrage about the issue of taking public services away and making people travel farther for treatment.

"This is about finance and nothing to do with the provision of care."

Bosses at the cash-strapped hospital trust have warned that spending cuts on temporary staff must be speeded up.

The trust is looking to shed 700 jobs over the next three years to adapt to changes in the NHS and reduce spending by £40m.

The trust's chief executive, John Saxby, said board members would receive a report recommending the relocation of the day surgery unit for a six-month period.

He said: "The trust is regularly cancelling operating lists at Shotley Bridge because there are not enough patients, and other lists run only part full. This is not an economically viable way of providing services.

"We will be reviewing the position in six months time, but sadly, this is a step which the trust needs to take."

The meeting is open to the public and starts at 2pm.

People can share their views with the trust board members by writing to County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6HX.