Bishop Auckland Hospital
| Bishop Auckland Hospital | |
|---|---|
| County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | |
 | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, United Kingdom |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS |
| Services | |
| Beds | 145 |
| History | |
| Opened | 2002 |
| Links | |
| Website | http://www.cddft.nhs.uk |
| Lists | Hospitals in the United Kingdom |
Bishop Auckland Hospital is a small NHS district general hospital serving the western part of County Durham, with a primarily rural catchment area centred on the Wear Valley. It was opened in 2002 and then had around 286 beds, but this number has since been cut substantially. There has been much controversy over the recent 'decline of services' in this hospital.[1][2][3] The hospital is part of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
The issue which made much controversy was the loss of the special care baby unit (SCBU)[4] Special care babies are now cared for at Darlington Memorial Hospital, Ward 3 (Haematology) was also closed down, and surgical beds were greatly cut, so that now only relatively minor surgical procedures are carried out at the hospital.
The overall quality and use of services in the trust (County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust) was rated as 'Good' by the HealthCare Commission Ratings. The other two main sites in the trust are Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham.
In June 2009, it was announced that the hospital's children's ward will close from 1 July 2009, with all services transferred to Darlington and Durham, a decision that was attacked by campaigners against the hospital's downgrading, but defended by NHS management on the basis of paediatric specialists being "spread too thin".[5]
The latest change is the loss of acute services at the hospital (Oct 2009). The reasons given for this by the trust were that services were being spread too thinly and there were insufficient doctors, money and resources to run three A&E departments within the trust efficiently [1]. However opponents to this view have argued that the downgrading of emergency services will mean that for people in the Wear Valley area will have to travel significantly further to access A&E services and believe than in many cases this could mean a difference of life and death. The local council had spent much money on protesting against the closure of services at the hospital [2].
Services provided
From October 2009 the hospital has become a centre for planned care. [3]
The nearest Accident and Emergency departments are based at Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham
The hospital provides day case surgery, and low risk planned operations for the County Durham and Darlington area. It also provides rehabilitation services including inpatients, day care and outpatients. It has a wide range of outpatient services and primary care services such as colorectal screening.
See also
References
- ^ "New hospital ward closure decision 'defies all logic'". The Northern Echo. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-10-18. [dead link]
- ^ "Question mark hangs over the future of hospital ward". The Northern Echo. 2005-07-27. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ Withdrawal of Local Facilities/Sources at www.healthdemocracy.org.uk. Retrieved on October 18, 2007.
- ^ Hospital admits stillbirth mistakes at www.timesonline.co.uk (accessed October 18, 2007)
- ^ Northern Echo (2 June 2009): Anger at closure of Bishop Auckland Hospital children's ward