Major changes to hospital care across Teesside, East Durham and North Yorkshire are being proposed as NHS leaders warn that current services may not be sustainable without significant reform.
The plans, being developed by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust under their new partnership, University Hospitals Tees, could see specialist services concentrated at individual hospitals, expanded “hospital at home” care and a greater focus on prevention and community-based treatment.
Members of North Yorkshire Council’s health scrutiny committee were told that “radical changes” would be needed to meet growing demand and address workforce, financial and estate pressures.
Under the proposals, more patients would receive treatment in their own homes or local communities, reducing reliance on hospital beds. NHS leaders said the expansion of “hospital at home” services could create the equivalent of 500 additional beds, with similar services potentially introduced for children and young people.
Plans also include increasing activity at surgical hubs at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton and the University Hospital of Hartlepool. Specialist services could be concentrated at either James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough or the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, while both sites would continue to operate emergency departments.
The proposed model would see James Cook focus on services including urology, spinal care, non-ambulatory trauma and paediatrics. North Tees would specialise in general medicine, respiratory care, diabetes, elderly care and general surgery.
Children’s services could also be consolidated to create a dedicated specialist children’s hospital on a single site.
An overhaul of outpatient services is also being considered.
Matt Neligan, chief strategy officer at University Hospitals Tees, said the close proximity of the region’s two major hospitals had resulted in duplicated services and increased pressures. “That is a big issue that causes us to think about what our ambition might need to be. We’ve got a number of workforce and performance pressures, and increasingly the financial pressures create pressure on our service,” he said.
“That’s exacerbated by the growth in the population so we know that if we stand still the demand on inpatient emergency care is going to grow by about 40 per cent over the next 15 years.”
“That requires us to think differently about the model of care that we provide.”
The committee heard that North Tees Hospital currently faces a maintenance backlog of £126 million, while James Cook Hospital’s private finance initiative contract costs around £83 million annually.
A rapidly ageing population is expected to add further strain to services. NHS projections suggest A&E attendances among people aged over 70 will rise by 39 per cent between 2023 and 2040, while inpatient admissions for the same age group are expected to increase by more than 36 per cent.
NHS leaders are currently outlining the case for change, with detailed proposals and public consultation expected later this year.
