WILTSHIRE TIMES EXCLUSIVE: SICK residents in Melksham are being forced to wait for up to to see their doctor.

Patients blame the closure of the overnight minor injuries unit at the town's hospital and overstretched doctors for the delays which have left them suffering unless it is an emergency.

One doctor said a Government objective for everyone to see a GP within 48 hours was proving impossible to meet.

Melksham mayor Terri Welch was told she would have to wait 20days to see a doctor at Giffords Surgery.

She said: "I've had a horrible cold for three months. It's nothing desperate but nobody at the surgery asked me what was wrong, which was very unsettling.

"I think more vulnerable members of the community are at risk because they are not able to get an appointment quickly."

Town councillor Nick Westbrook, chief executive of health watchdog Health Advocacy Partnership, was told he would have to wait 24 days to see his GP and his wife and daughter have also faced lengthy delays. He is blaming problems with the way appointments are booked for the waits.

He said: "It is extremely difficult to get an appointment to see a GP. People are waiting eight, 10, 15 days or longer. It is not just a problem in Melksham across west Wiltshire we are aware of people having difficulties getting access to a doctor. When people phone up to see a doctor they expect to see one."

Melksham Hospital's overnight minor injuries unit closed at the beginning of the month and Cllr Westbrook said this was putting more pressure on local health services.

"People are concerned about how they can access out of hours services," said Cllr Westbrook.

At the time of going to press, bosses at Giffords Surgery were unavailable for comment, but Dr Rupert Gabriel, of the Spa Medical Centre, said it was a 'constant battle' to cope with ever-increasing waiting lists.

He said: "Doctors are forced to take extra patients through allocation so we cannot stop the list increasing. This combined with excessive workloads and winter illnesses puts a lot of stress on the system.

"People with routine appointments usually have to wait longer than more urgent work. We are all very anxious to provide a speedy service to patients but there are only 24 hours in a day."

Surgeries in Trowbridge, War-minster, Bradford on Avon and Westbury reported few problems and many have put 48-hour systems into place to cope with demand.

Christina Fowler, practice manager of Bradford Road Surgery in Trowbridge, said: "If people have a genuinely urgent problem they can see a doctor on the day. Before the programme started we were losing hundreds of appointments because people were not turning up.

"They were booking three weeks in advance and by the time their appointment came round, they were better."

West Wiltshire PCT is investigating Melksham residents' concerns, but said long waits were not a common occurrence. Bosses said most people were able to see a health care professional within 24 hours and a GP within 48 hours. They have written to Cllr Welch and Cllr Westbrook to explain the reasons behind the delays.

Debra Elliott, director of planning and service development for the PCT, said: "Practices do offer 24 and 48 hour access. Problems sometimes arise when patients ask to see a specific doctor and when people are on holiday.