Results due from consultation over controversial plans to shake-up hospital services in South Tyneside and Sunderland

About 2,500 people have given their feedback to the NHS ‘Path to Excellence’ consultation, which focuses on where key services at South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital would be best delivered.

The public feedback took 14-and-a-half weeks to collate, with areas looked at including stroke care services, maternity and women’s healthcare services, and children and young people’s services.

The results of the consultation will be published at the start of next month, with two public feedback sessions also set to take place.

The public consultation is led by the commissioners of local health services – NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Sunderland CCG.

Dr Matthew Walmsley, chair of NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “With the public consultation phase now at an end, the clinical commissioning groups are now considering the feedback received during the public consultation period in order to inform our decision.”

Dr Ian Pattinson, chair of NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This feedback phase presents the public and stakeholders with a further opportunity to comment on the findings of the consultation and the proposed next steps.

“This opportunity also allows any alternative service models to be explored that may have been suggested via the consultation process.”

A public feedback session will take place at the Clervaux Exchange, in Clervaux Terrace, Jarrow, on Monday, December 11 between 6pm and 8pm.

Another is on at Hope Street Xchange, in Sunderland, the following day between 10am and 12pm.

Places should be registered online at www.pathtoexcellence.org.uk.

People have until Monday, January 8 to give any further comments on the draft feedback. The process will finish in February.