In July 2025, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust implemented a temporary overnight closure of the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Shotley Bridge Community Hospital, covering the hours of 12 midnight to 8am, for an initial period of three months.
During this time, the Trust made sustained efforts to recruit Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) to support the service. We are pleased to confirm that one new ANP has now been successfully appointed. However, one existing member of the team has retired and two further ANPs have expressed their intention to leave the service.
As a result, despite positive recruitment progress, the Trust is not yet in a position to safely staff the service overnight.
To allow continued recruitment and stabilisation of the workforce, the Trust has taken the difficult decision to extend the temporary overnight closure of the Shotley Bridge UTC for a further three months - until the beginning of January 2026.
This remains a safety-first decision, reflecting the Trust’s duty to provide services that are safe, clinically appropriate and sustainable. The UTC will continue to operate as normal between 8am and 12 midnight, seven days a week.
Patient attendance data continues to show very low overnight demand. Analysis has shown only a minimal increase in patients from the Shotley Bridge area presenting at UHND UTC overnight, and there have been no incidents or complaints related to the temporary closure.
Staff affected by the change have not raised any concerns during the closure period.
Patients needing care overnight (12am–8am) will continue to have access to:
- NHS 111 for advice and clinical triage
- GP out-of-hours services, accessed via NHS 111
- Emergency Department at University Hospital of North Durham (UHND) and other nearby urgent treatment centres
Not linked to the New Hospital Programme
We recognise that some people may ask whether this change is related to the New Hospital Programme and redevelopment plans for Shotley Bridge Hospital.
We would like to confirm that this temporary overnight closure is entirely separate from the New Hospital Programme. The decision has no impact on the new hospital plans, which remain a long-term strategic development currently in the planning stages.
Ongoing engagement and transparency
While this remains an operational necessity, the Trust is committed to ongoing engagement and transparency throughout the extended closure period. This will include:
- Regular updates
- Public communications and feedback channels
The Trust will continue to monitor impact, patient experience, and workforce progress throughout the extension period to inform future service planning.