No Plan for A&E Return to Hartlepool, NHS Tells Councillors..
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NHS Strategy Confirms Centralised Emergency Care Will Stay Away From Hartlepool
17th Feb 2026
Hopes for the restoration of a full Accident and Emergency department to Hartlepool have been dealt a major blow after NHS chiefs confirmed there are no plans for a new emergency unit in the town, telling councillors the financial and clinical case for such a move “does not reflect the need”.
The stark admission emerged during a presentation to Hartlepool Borough Council’s Audit and Governance Committee, where senior figures from North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust outlined a long-term strategy that will reshape how hospital services are delivered across Teesside for years to come.
Councillors were told that the University Hospital of Hartlepool currently operates with just 14 inpatient beds, used primarily for elective surgery patients who require an overnight stay, alongside a 24-hour urgent treatment centre, diagnostic services and outpatient clinics. Whilst its claimed existing services in the town are expected to expand, the possibility of reinstating a full A&E service has now effectively been ruled out on the grounds of cost, workforce pressures and changing models of care, demolishing one of the election pledges of the Labour MP Jonathan Brash to "Save Hartlepool Hospitals Services", which included the return of an Accident & Emergency Service to the town
The NHS pointed instead to a future based on greater centralisation of specialist and emergency treatment, combined with a significant shift towards delivering more care in the community and in patients’ homes. The strategy is being driven by what health leaders described as long-standing staffing challenges, an ageing population with more complex needs, and hospital buildings — particularly at North Tees — which are approaching the end of their economic life.
No New Hospital for Hartlepool Councillors Told
In a further blow to campaigners, representatives confirmed that while major redevelopment or even a complete rebuild of hospital facilities is under consideration, there are no proposals for such investment to be located in Hartlepool. Any large-scale emergency care provision will remain elsewhere, with services that require the highest levels of clinical expertise continuing to be concentrated on fewer sites.
The announcement's likely to reignite long-running political anger in the town, where the loss of the towns A&E services has remained one of the most contentious local issues for more than a decade.
Proposed June 2026 Reopening of Hartlepool's maternity Services
Concerns were also raised during the meeting about the future of Hartlepool’s maternity services, which remain temporarily closed, with an update of a planned reopening of June 2026 expected to be taken to the councils Health and Wellbeing Board in the coming weeks.
Parking capacity at the Hartlepool hospital site and the ability of public transport to cope with a more dispersed healthcare system were also highlighted as unresolved problems that could disproportionately affect older and vulnerable patients.
Despite the loss of any realistic prospect of an A&E return, NHS officials insisted the town would see an expansion of certain services and would play a key role in the shift towards neighbourhood-based healthcare, including the development of “Hospital at Home” models designed to keep patients out of acute settings wherever possible.
The transformation programme is expected to be rolled out in phases stretching to 2030 and beyond, with further consultations promised as detailed proposals emerge.
For many in Hartlepool, however, the central message from the meeting was unmistakable: the long-promised restoration of a full emergency department is no longer part of the NHS’s future plans for the town.
