People dismayed by long delays at Wrexham Maelor Hospital’s emergency department have sought treatment in Oswestry, a councillor has claimed.

Councillor Derek Wright says people in his Cefn Mawr division are fed up of waiting hours to be seen at the hospital and have instead started going across the border to Oswestry for treatment where they are usually seen and treated within an hour.

Earlier this week, the Advertizer’s sister paper, The Leader reported between April and September this year, 4,682 patients have gone to the Maelor for emergency treatment and left without being seen.

Figures show 32,394 patients have attended the emergency department in total during that time, meaning more than 14 per cent have left without being treated.

Cllr Wright said: “A lot of people in Cefn make use of the minor injuries unit in Oswestry because they are fed up of the Maelor.

”Usually you are seen and treated within an hour so maybe more people from Wrexham should do the same.”

Dr Gareth Bowdler, east area medical director for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said solutions were being worked on to improve the situation with delays at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

He said: “The key thing they are going to try to do is to ringfence the emergency nurse practitioner who sees all the patients who have walked in and are considered to have a minor problem.

“When the pressure is on, often the ENP provides support to the majors area and that, of course, has led to long delays in the waiting room.

“Ringfencing that role would hopefully improve the flow of people being seen in the waiting room.”

Dr Bowdler added all patients who left the emergency department without being seen would have a letter sent to their GP to inform them of the situation.