Vascular services for County Durham and Darlington

Healthwatch County Durham undertook research on the reconfiguration of vascular services across County Durham and Darlington following plans to move vascular surgery from the University Hospital of North Durham to specialist centres in Sunderland and Middlesbrough. The work aimed to understand patients’ experiences of existing vascular services and identify what was important to them as services changed. Healthwatch gathered feedback from 272 survey respondents and facilitated six listening and informing events attended by 18 patients, carers and members of the public.

The research found that patients were generally very satisfied with the quality of vascular care they received. Most respondents felt well informed about their condition, treatment and surgery, felt treated with dignity and respect, and reported positive experiences of hospital staff. Patients consistently said that the quality of care and clinical outcomes were more important than the location of surgery, although many expressed disappointment that vascular surgery would no longer be available at the University Hospital of North Durham. 

Travel was the main concern raised by patients and carers. Many were worried about increased journey times to Sunderland, access to public transport, parking availability and costs, and the impact on family members visiting patients. Patients also wanted reassurance that outpatient appointments would continue locally and that they would be able to retain continuity of care with their existing consultants wherever possible. While information provided before and after surgery was generally rated positively, some patients reported receiving limited information about community support services, rehabilitation and what to expect after discharge. 

Healthwatch concluded that any new vascular service model should prioritise clear communication, continuity of care and support with travel arrangements. Recommendations included providing better information about patient transport, public transport and parking, reassuring patients that most appointments would remain local, ensuring patients receive clear information about surgery and discharge, and improving awareness of rehabilitation and community support services. Healthwatch also recommended repeating the survey after implementation of the new arrangements to assess whether patient satisfaction had been maintained or improved.