(Yesterday, 2:20 pm)Andreos1 wrote The 78 follows the 2 from Shiney Row. 
For the next 4.5 miles, they follow each other to the hospital. 
They then follow each other again for the next 1.5 miles. 

You've got the Pennywell service dropping in and following the 2 and 78.
Along with the 32 which follows the same route. 

The 2 and 78 terminate in the same place. 
The Pennywell services then essentially follow each other and the 32 joins the convoy, before heading somewhere slightly different. But all on the south side of the river. 

They may all head along Chester Road because it's the quickest route to Sunderland. But we all know Sunderland is dead. Nobody goes there. 
Plenty buses do though.
So if the city centre is dead, what can bus operators do to encourage people to use the bus to other key destinations? Keep things as is? Have a convoy following each other for 7 miles or do they look at how to improve accessibility to key locations on the route?

You state patients won't use buses, but staff will. 
Any idea what proportion of staff live on the route (or within 1 mile) of the convoy of buses following each other along the quickest route in to Sunderland? 

Smaller than the number of over 65s who don't have access to a car in Sunderland?

Let's be honest, it's another issue with multiple operators and there not being enough demand and one of those being much better than the other (and it isn't GoNorthEast here). 

Stagecoach control that corridor now imo with the 16 and 20 which are both much superior services with the 8 filling the gaps. 

Personally I don't understand why the 62 doesn't run through Pennywell and continue somewhere West. Who knows, maybe people in Pennywell would like to go somewhere else than Sunderland with their 11 buses an hour going to there via nothing bar the hospital and you can up the frequency for another area. It's not like there's not enough areas around Shiney Row which next to zero bus service right now - maybe they'd like a link to a hospital and just make sure it goes via Fencehouses while we're at it or on a less joking reply, maybe it's an answer to the 79 running to nowhere.