It is managed by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

The hospital originated with the acquisition of the Whinney House Estate in 1912.

[2] It served as the Shotley Bridge Emergency Hospital during the Second World War specialising in plastic surgery,[3][4] before joining the National Health Service as Shotley Bridge General Hospital in 1948.

[2] Although it was once one of the largest hospitals in the Northern Region,[1] most primary care and acute services were transferred to the new University Hospital of North Durham in 2001.

[1] In April 2019 the trust announced a consultation on the possible transfer of clinical services to a smaller medical centre.