HEALTH chiefs have advised patients to attend Burnley General Hospital for most medical mishaps over Christmas.

The warning came as a large number of sufferers have been travelling for emergency treatment to Blackburn instead.

As a result, Burnley's critical care unit can cope with "at least" another 40 patients a day.

Many people from the Burnley area afflicted by cuts, sprains, fractures, infected wounds, minor head injuries and burns have travelled 10 miles away at the Royal Blackburn Hospital in recent weeks.

And hospital bosses insist that the new urgent care centre at Burnley General, in Casterton Avenue, is well-equipped and staffed to deal with such traumas.

The accident and emergency department at Burnley closed on November 1 as part of East Lancashire's Meeting Patients Needs programme.

All 999 blue light emergencies in East Lancashire are now sent to the Royal Blackburn.

But East Lancashire Hospitals Trust officials maintain that the urgent care centre will deal with 85 per cent of cases previously seen by doctors and nurses in casualty.

Health leaders hope that the they can drive the message home over the Christmas and New Year period, traditionally busy due to falling temperatures and holidays-related admissions.

Declan Harte, the hospital trust's emergency services project director, said: "Currently the urgent care centre at Burnley is seeing around 100 patients a day.

"But we have enough capacity to see at least another 40 patients per day.

"I understand there are concerns about where to go when you need emergency treatment.

"But a rule of thumb is that if you live in or near Burnley and can get there yourself - and you do not need an emergency ambulance - please use the Burnley Urgent Care Centre.

"You will be seen more quickly than making an unnecessary journey to Blackburn.

"I think this message is especially important over the Christmas period.

"We want patients with urgent care needs to be seen as quickly as possible so that they spend Christmas with their loved ones and not with us."

The centre is backed by specially-trained emergency ward nurses, GPs, round-the-clock consultant cover, pathology services and x-ray labs.