Staff at Airedale Hospital say a new phone line designed to cut down on ambulances being sent out to non-emergencies is causing strain on the hospital’s A&E department.

Following a weekend where some patients faced waiting until the early hours of the morning for treatment, a member of staff claimed numbers arriving at the hospital have risen since the new 111 non-emergency phone line went active in late March.

The hospital has apologised to patients for the long waiting time, and said it would look into why it happened.

On Sunday evening, arrivals at the A&E department were told they faced a minimum four hour wait to be seen, and staff had to put chairs in a corridor to accommodate patients.

The new phone line is for people with non-emergency conditions to call rather than 999, and they are told what action to take by advisers and nurses.

Locally, the line is run by Yorkshire Ambulance Service in partnership with Local Care Direct.

But hospital staff say too many people who ring it are being told to go to their local A&E rather than visit their GP and, in many cases, ambulances are being sent out for these non-emergency patients.

One patient who waited over four hours to be seen on Sunday night said: “On hearing of the wait some people turned and left rather than face it. There were parents with young children and elderly people who had suffered from a fall who weren’t being seen until 3am. The staff were doing the best they could to keep people calm, but there was an atmosphere of frustration amongst patients.”

One member of staff, who did not wish to be identified, said: “It was madness all weekend. The waiting room has been full to the breaking point for three days, and it is due to the new 111 line. They seem to be directing patients to A&E immediately rather than telling them to wait to see a GP.”

Andrew Catto, executive medical director and consultant physician at the trust, said: “We are sorry that due to our accident and emergency department being busier than usual on Sunday evening some patients waited longer than we would have liked for their treatment.

“All patients are seen and assessed when they initially come to A&E so that they we can treat any life-threatening and urgent cases immediately. This may mean that some patients with minor injuries or those needing less immediate treatment may wait longer than we would want.

“We are working with our out-of- hours partners and other healthcare services in the community to better understand why this has happened.”

A spokesman for Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: “For a new service, NHS 111 is performing well and patients are given advice or directed to an appropriate service for their needs based on the information they provide.

“The referral rates from NHS 111 to A&E departments are well within the expected levels. We will continue to work with our healthcare partners to gauge any impact of the new service on the wider health community.”

A&E staff at Bradford Royal Infirmary said the new system had not led to any change in patient numbers.