A RETURN to 24-hour urgent care services at Hexham General Hospital is essential for local people, Hexham’s MP, Guy Opperman has said.

After Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust said it would make an announcement within the next month regarding arrangements for overnight walk-in care from October 1, Mr Opperman has reiterated his calls for a round the clock service to resume.

Urgent care centres at Hexham, North Tyneside and Wansbeck hospitals closed on December 1 last year, from midnight until 8am.

The interim measure was initially announced for the winter months, to meet demand at the emergency care hospital in Cramlington.

But the closure period was extended in March, and again from July 1 until September 30.