Senior staff are concentrated at Frenchay Hospital

North Bristol NHS Trust is proposing to close the A&E department at Southmead hospital to all seriously ill and injured patients.

They will instead be sent to Frenchay hospital in the north of the city.

Dr Kirsten Jones said: "Most major cities in the UK have already taken similar actions."

The trust said Southmead's A&E department was cramped, offered poor access to critical care facilities and had no helicopter access.

'Fewer experienced doctors'

"We currently concentrate senior staff at the Frenchay emergency department, as it deals with major trauma, meaning that Southmead is sometimes staffed by less experienced doctors," Dr Jones said.

Under the plans, a Minor Injuries Unit would be set up at Southmead for less serious injuries. It would be open from early morning to late evening.

Serious cases will be taken to Frenchay, Bristol Royal Infirmary in the city centre, or Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare.

In a statement on Thursday, the trust said it was "keen to reassure members of the public that this project has absolutely no bearing on the longer-term future of hospital services in Bristol, and should certainly not be seen as a sign that Southmead Hospital is being scaled down."