MAJOR improvements in the way hospitals treat casualty patients have been announced by the Government.

But a senior North-East doctor has warned that these improvements might not be sustainable unless extra resources are made available.

New figures released by the Department of Health show that 98pc of patients who attended accident and emergency were seen and treated within four hours - with most seen much quicker than that.

Hospitals in the North-East and North Yorkshire share in that success, with one trust - South Tees Hospitals, which includes Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital and Northallerton's Friarage - recently grabbing the number one spot by seeing and treating more than 99pc of patients within that time.

At the start of 2003, up to a quarter of patients spent longer than four hours in A & E, now virtually all are seen in less than four hours.

Dr David Emerton, a consultant in accident and emergency at the University Hospital of North Tees, said changes in how accident and emergency services were delivered had enabled staff to offer a faster service.

But while he acknowledged that targets had helped to speed up treatment, he expressed concern about the current financial restraints imposed on the NHS.

"There is a danger, with the current financial situation, as staffing numbers reduce and the work increases, that we will be unable to continue to meet the target, " said Dr Emerton, whose department saw 51,615 patients last year, almost 2,000 more than the previous year.

He said the public had to understand that unpopular changes to NHS services might have to take place to allow improvements to continue.