Staff said treatment areas were overflowing with patients

Employees at Crawley Hospital said that on the first night of changes, staff struggled to cope and treatment areas were overflowing with patients.

It is the first phase to make the department a walk-in centre for minor injuries at night, with emergencies seen at East Surrey Hospital.

The hospital said the changes would lead to an improvement in patient care.

Staff at the hospital contacted BBC South East on Monday to say they were concerned about what they described as a failing in patient care.

All patients were dealt with and treated or sent home as appropriate as soon as we could do that Chief executive Keith Cunningham

One hospital worker who did not wish to be named, said: "Moving facilities to East Surrey will result in loss of life."

"A walk-in centre is different from a casualty department - anaesthetic and life-saving equipment will no longer be here."

Staff were also concerned by how busy the unit was, pointing to the fact that even a side-annexe normally used for assessing patients was being used for treatment, in one case, for a period of several days.

The chief executive of the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Keith Cunningham, acknowledged that Monday was a busy night but described it as a "successful evening".

'Overall improvement'

"All patients were dealt with and treated or sent home as appropriate as soon as we could do that."

He also said the changes would lead to an overall improvement in patient care and that the hospital was keen to address any concerns raised by staff.

From August, patients needing emergency treatment between 2100 and 0800 will be taken to East Surrey Hospital, nine miles away.

The hospital says that 75% of patients who would previously have been treated at Crawley will still be seen at the new minor injuries unit.