CASUALTY ward patients should not have to endure 12-hour trolley waits when a temporary ward opens at the end of this month.

Hospital bosses claim that by April next year no patient will have to wait more than four hours at the acute medical unit, which will be located close to Northwick Park Hospital's Accident & Emergency department.

It will have 10 beds open by mid-December before expanding to 21 beds in the new year.

A spokeswoman for the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust described the scheme as 'perhaps the most challenging and exciting initiative for this year'.

Beds will be filled by direct admissions from A&E, receiving nursing care, diagnosis and treatment. The maximum time they will spend in the unit is 24 hours before being transferred to the appropriate medical ward.

"I'm very excited about the new ward and I am determined to make it a future success for both patients and staff," said unit manager Bernadette Beirne.

The extra beds will be complemented by detailed proposals to ensure the Trust has sufficient capacity over the coming winter to enable prompt admission for all emergency patients and reduce waiting lists in other areas.

A number of proposals have been approved, including 12 social care beds at Central Middlesex Hospital and 20 at Northwick Park Hospital until the end of March next year.

Funding has been approved to employ a weekend discharge doctor at Northwick Park Hospital throughout the winter period.

Five more assessment beds will be opening in Central Middlesex's A&E to provide rapid diagnosis.

Meanwhile, winter funding has been released for both Brent and Harrow's social services to buy additional nursing home beds in the community to ensure patients awaiting discharge do not tie up acute beds and make others wait.

"This means the Trust is opening an additional 58 beds over winter," said a Trust spokeswoman.

"We hope this package of initiatives will enable the Trust to provide a comprehensive service to emergency and elective patients."