Trust 'training staff' for closure-hit clinic
LDRSAn NHS trust has said it is recruiting at an urgent treatment centre which has been closed overnight due to a staff shortage.
The unit at Shotley Bridge Hospital in County Durham has been shut between midnight and 08:00 GMT since July and the measure was extended for another three months in January.
Local residents have raised concerns that the closure will become permanent, with one councillor saying the situation is "not acceptable".
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said newly recruited staff were expected to complete training "within the next six to 12 months".
Grange Villa resident Amy Wylie said she was concerned about travelling outside of the area for urgent care overnight.
"I can foresee it happening because I've got two autistic kids that have accidents all the time and get ill quite often," she said.
"I'd rather go to somewhere I'm comfortable with, I know how to get there, we know the people."
Kevin Earley, secretary of Shotley Bridge Hospital Support Group, said residents were worried the overnight service might not be restored.
He said other facilities could be difficult to get to or costly for people without a car.
"A bit of honesty would be best, but mostly what would be best would be some investment and maintaining the services that we were promised," he said.
Wylie added she would "not be surprised" if the overnight closure became permanent.
"I don't think it's going to open up fully again," the 38-year-old said.
A spokesperson for the trust said there had been "no decision" to make the closure permanent.
"While we understand and apologise for the concern this causes locally, we do not yet have sufficient staff to safely reopen overnight services," they added.
'Fears for worst'
The closure was originally meant to last three months, but has been extended twice since July.
The trust previously said that on average just five people attended the site each night.
Last week, Durham County Council unanimously backed a motion urging the trust to explain service withdrawals and future provision at the hospital.
Reform councillor Kenny Hope, who tabled the motion, said the situation was "not acceptable" and called for the unit's immediate reopening.
He told the BBC: "If that treatment centre does not reopen with immediate effect there's a potential that the worst could happen, we could start losing residents unnecessarily."
Earley said members would continue to lobby for the unit's reopening.
"If this goes on past April, it'll be a very, very sore blow for people and it'll be a missed opportunity by the trust."
A spokesperson for the trust said the closure helped maintain "safer, more reliable services" while staff recruitment and training continued.
Construction of a new hospital in nearby Consett, which includes an urgent treatment centre, is expected to be completed by 2030.