Hospital change to reduce wait times and cut trips
PA MediaTwo hospitals treating minor injuries are due to be upgraded to urgent treatment centres in a bid to cut waiting times and slash lengthy trips.
The changes at Berwick Infirmary and Alnwick Infirmary in Northumberland will begin on 1 April.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals, said the move will mean people would no longer have to travel to Wansbeck General Hospital, which is more than 50 miles from Berwick and 20 from Alnwick.
Patients will also be able to book planned appointments to be seen at the urgent treatment centres via NHS 111, instead of waiting up to two hours to be seen.
A walk-in service would still be available and the hospitals will be able to treat injuries such as sprains, cuts, minor burns, chest infections and animal bites.
The minor injury units in Berwick and Alnwick already offered services similar to other urgent treatment centres, with X-ray services at both sites.
The trust said the change would mean staff would get extra training and support to manage "a wider range of patients", who would have previously had to wait for a GP review.