Consett Shotley Bridge Hospital replacement works delayed

The new community hospital plans were part of Boris Johnson's pledge to build 40 new hospitals

Work to build a new community hospital has been delayed.

A facility to replace Shotley Bridge Hospital in Consett was due to open in 2025 but the timeline is to be revised, according to the scheme's managers.

The plans were part of Boris Johnson's pledge to build 40 new hospitals throughout the UK by 2030.

Durham county councillor Kevin Earley said the delay was "undermining people" who were "worried" that the hospital would not go ahead.

The authority approved the hospital in March in a bid to alleviate some of the pressure on the University Hospital of North Durham (UHND) in Durham.

The proposal for the building in Genesis Way includes a 16-bed in-patient rehabilitation ward, an urgent treatment centre, an expanded chemotherapy suite and diagnostic provision, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

But there is still no start date and the hospital will need to be redesigned to cut costs.

Jane Curry, programme manager for the Shotley Bridge Hospital project, said: "As with any major building programme currently, delays do occur due to multiple factors."

She said the team was working with the new hospitals programme to "minimise delays and bring the scheme into development within a revised timeline".

Mr Earley said: "Millions [of pounds] have been committed to the project, so rowing back on it now is a worry.

"It's undermining people and now they are worried that it's not going to happen.

"If it's going to go ahead, let's see work starting on the site now so everyone knows it's going to happen."

A report due to be discussed by health officials and councillors in Durham next week suggests changes to the scheme could be made but locals have been assured there would be no cuts to the services or the number of beds.