Berwick Infirmary site to have £25m hospital built on it

A £25m hospital will be built on the site of Berwick infirmary, after original plans for a joint facility with a leisure centre were scrapped.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust said after it had "listened to public views" there would be a stand-alone hospital.

It would offer all the services of the current hospital, which would continue to operate during construction work.

The trust said talks with developers were under way and it was hoped work could "begin quickly".

Sir James Mackey, the trust's CEO, said: "It is clear that the joint development was not what the town wanted - instead, people demonstrated their support for a stand-alone hospital on the current site.

"In particular we've listened to the local community's concerns that they have to travel too far, too often for relatively minor or routine appointments.

"As such, eradicating the need to travel for minor or routine appointments will be a driving force behind our plans.

"We will ensure we track and publish the number of miles patients have to travel on a yearly basis, with a clear aim to make significant reductions in this travel for patients."