MALMESBURY GP Dr John Pettit has blamed low morale among nurses at the town's hospital for the staff crisis that has forced a reduction in opening hours at the minor injuries unit.

Starting on Friday, July 26, the unit will be open from 9am to 5pm. It is currently open from 7am to 10pm.

Malmesbury and Chippenham minor injury units are managed by the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust. David Sharp, the trust's care programme manager, said it does not have enough nurses to cover shifts, and could no longer afford to employ agency nurses.

He blamed staff shortages on school holidays, when staff would need time off for family reasons, and experienced nurses choosing to cut their availability.

Dr Pettit, of Gable House Surgery, spent three years on the board of the trust until May. He said it has not done enough to attract new nurses.

"The management of nurses at Malmesbury Hospital leaves a lot to be desired," said Dr Pettit, who has worked at Gable House for six years.

"Morale has been so low, and for the trust to say we have to close the department because we cannot get the staff is a bit rich because if they had been handled better they would not have a staff crisis."

He said he has spoken to Simon Burrell, the chairman of the professional executive on the trust, as well as chief executive Barbara Smith, asking if the reduction in hours could be postponed to let people know what is happening.

"We have developed an out-of-hours system that patients and nurses are happy with, where doctors are called out, if necessary, after a call has gone through a nurse at the minor injuries unit," said Dr Pettit.

He said this system will have to be reviewed, with more calls going straight to GPs, and he is concerned some people may, nonetheless, be unaware what is happening. "We risk the danger of having patients coming to casualty in need of urgent attention and unaware it has closed," added Dr Pettit.

The Malmesbury unit was open 24 hours a day until 1998, when the hours were reduced to 7am to 10pm. Dr Pettit said, however, before that decision, three months of public consultation took place. "That should have happened this time as well," he added.

Robin Clark, chairman of Malmesbury Hospital League of Friends, agreed. "We feel we have been bounced into this because of staff shortages, but we are also aware that there are other problems," he said.

But a nurse at the hospital, who did not wish to be named, said the problems related to a lack of qualified nurses.

"They have been advertising for four nurses, and only getting one apply," said the nurse, who works part-time as part of the bank system, providing nursing cover in Chippenham and Malmesbury. "It is the staffing levels that are the problem."

Childminder Caroline Buchan, 41, of Reeds Farm, Malmesbury, has two children, Anya, 11, and eight-year-old Finlay, who is autistic.

"This is an absolute disaster and a tragedy," she said. "I cannot remember the amount of times I have needed to use the casualty unit, for Finlay or Anya. Fin had serious respiratory problems as a young child and was in the casualty unit a lot up until the age of seven, and still needs it occasionally."

The trust has agreed on a three-month consultation with patients and staff on whether it was possible to provide a good service, with less hours.

Phil Day, director of community services, said he could give no guarantees the opening hours would revert back following the consultation.

Karen Pedley, the trust's communications manager, did not deny that morale among nurses in the minor injury units at Chippenham and Malmesbury, is low. "I would not be surprised if staff morale has been adversely affected by the situation," she said.

However, Ms Pedley maintained the trust had done all it could to recruit new nurses. "We have spent over £6,000 in the last 12 months on advertising fees alone to attract staff," she said.