A MINOR injuries unit in Leek should be open around the clock to prevent people being caught up in long delays at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire's accident unit.

The unit at the Moorlands Hospital on Ashbourne Road is open from 8am to 8pm.

But now members of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's health and scrutiny panel are urging the organisation which runs health care in the area to introduce a 24-hour service at the unit.

The plea comes after concerns were raised by residents over waiting times at the accident and emergency department in Hartshill and lengthy stays in hospital.

The working group panel has now recommended nine areas where health bosses can improve services for Moorlands residents after carrying out a review.

Speaking at last week's meeting of the council's health scrutiny committee, chairman of the working group, councillor Peter Warrillow, said: "The most important item raised in the review highlighted waiting times. Leek minor injury unit needs to be open 24/7. Cheadle hospital could also take minor injuries. Why not use them?

"This would help to stop queues forming at the accident unit at the UHNS."

Councillor John Burgess said there was an urgent need for action to be taken to prevent people travelling to Hartshill for treatment.

He added: "It is crying out for minor injuries to be dealt with locally, which would take the weight off the University Hospital.

"Waiting times at the accident unit can be 12 hours. It is inexcusable.

"There seems to be a bottleneck with patients waiting for treatment. It is a shortage of doctors, not a shortage of beds which is the problem. This needs to be a priority."

Councillor Elaine Baddeley said the key issue was the treatment of patients.

She added: "We were promised years ago that this would be looked at, but nothing has changed. An elderly lady I know had to wait seven and a half hours on a trolley in a cubicle and 19 and a half hours before being attended to and transferred to a ward.

"She underwent a heart bypass and was later transferred to Leek Hospital.

"The ambulance left Stoke-on-Trent at 5.45pm and arrived in Leek at 8.30pm. The reason given was that they got lost. This happened only last week and the patients had nothing to eat or drink. This is uncaring in what should be a caring service."

David Pearson, director of nursing at the UHNS, said: "This is a very powerful case put forward where the family should write to the trust. It has been an incredibly busy winter. There are however new developments coming in this year."

The health panel is now recommending to NHS North Staffordshire that Leek Hospital minor injury unit goes 24/7 and that Cheadle Hospital open its doors to attend to patients with minor injuries. The working group also recommended that the process for dispensing medicines be reviewed to ensure it does not affect patients' discharge from hospital.