PATIENTS are having to wait as long as FOUR hours to be treated in Bolton's new casualty unit.

The claim that non-urgent patients face this "totally unacceptable" delay was made at a meeting of Bolton Council's health service liaison committee.

But hospital chiefs said that while patients may have a delay in seeing certain doctors, in general waiting times are coming down.

They are also planning to increase the number of specially trained nurses in the unit from three to nine and are considering basing a GP in the unit for non urgent cases.

Labour Cllr Mrs Prentice Howarth said she knew three patients who have had to wait four hours recently.

She also hit out at a new grading system of cases into how urgent they are which can leave non-urgent cases with a long delay.

Mrs Howarth said: "We have got it wrong somewhere. This is a major problem for elderly people or those who are waiting with young children."

Mr John Hartshorne, of the Bolton Community Health Council added: "It is totally unacceptable that people should have to wait this long in an accident and emergency department.

"Everyone who goes to a casualty department believes their case is serious. People do not go there for fun.

"I believe there should be an increase in nurses so that there is a fast-track through for non urgent cases."

Mr Mike Ruane, chief executive of Wigan and Bolton health authority, said: "There may be a long delay involving a particular patient, at a particular time waiting to see a particular doctor.

"But we need a lot more information before we start issuing blank cheques for more resources.

"He added that there was pressure on services from non-accident patients who were going to casualty instead of their GP.

Ann Schenk, director of service development for the Bolton Hospitals' NHS Trust, added: "In general, waiting times are being reduced.

"If someone has had to wait that long, it would be for a doctor who was in another department and had to wait until he was available."

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