A HEALTH watchdog is holding public meetings this week as part of a controversial review of breast cancer diagnostic services which has led to the temporary closure of a Darlington clinic.

The morning and evening meetings, held in the Community Fire Station in St Cuthbert’s Way on Wednesday, have been organised by the independent health watchdog, Healthwatch Darlington.

The suspension of breast cancer clinics at Darlington Memorial Hospital six months ago led to a public protest in Darlington town centre, led by Darlington’s Labour MP Jenny Chapman. Mrs Chapman has urged health bosses to reinstate the Darlington breast cancer clinic as soon as possible.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust used to run breast cancer diagnostic clinics at four locations - Darlington Memorial, University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and Shotley Bridge Hospital - but due to a national shortage of consultant radiologists, who interpret the scans, the trust’s radiology service advised managers that the breast cancer outpatient diagnostic service should be reduced to two sites.

The trust is in the process of re-scheduling follow-up appointments so that these can take place in all four sites.

But the need to see newly referred women patients within two weeks, combined with the lack of consultant radiologists and ageing diagnostic equipment at Darlington and Shotley Bridge, means that the trust has only been providing initial and follow-up consultations at only the Bishop Auckland and Durham sites.

Healthwatch Darlington wants to know what people think about the changes to the breast cancer diagnostic service and what they would like to see happen in the future.

The public meetings will take place at 9.30am to 11.30am on Wednesday and then repeated in the evening between 6pm and 8pm.