PEOPLE using accident and emergency for minor ailments are costing too much, according to health bosses keen to cut costs by £6.3million.

South East Essex Primary Care Trust, which pays for all procedures carried out at Southend Hospital, said at the moment the medical system could be "too hospital oriented".

Russ Platt, the trust's director of commissioning and contracting, said the high number of patients using the hospital instead of GP, out-of-hours or NHS Direct services was putting it under huge financial strain.

The news comes as the NHS Alliance revealed many patients don't know who to turn to when their GP surgery is closed.

The trust now hopes to educate people about the best options to treat their illnesses and the correct reasons for using A&E, in an effort to save £6.3million on what it pays the hospital.

The savings are part of a total package of £9.4million savings it plans to make this financial year.

Mr Platt said: "We look at a benchmark comparing the amount of healthcare spending with that of other PCTs and use them as an indicator of how much we expect to spend."

Mr Platt said the trust also wanted to make savings by treating some conditions in the community, rather than with surgery, such as redirecting patients with lower back problems to a physiotherapist instead.

He said: "We need to ask are we delivering the most appropriate care for elective treatments or are we too hospital orientated?"

He said people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, asthma or other breathing difficulties could also be managed better by GPs and patients themselves to cut down on expensive emergency admissions, often by ambulance to A&E.

This year, the primary care trust has agreed to pay the hospital £159.3million for the work it does on its behalf.

Southend Hospital says it does not yet know the knock-on effects the reduction of £6.3million may have on its own services.

Brian Shipley, director of finance at the hospital, said: "We are aware of the PCT's plans. Our own plans will be considered at the board meeting at the beginning of May."

Patients have no need to be confused out-of-hours

AN ambulance service boss has defended the out-of-hours medical service in Essex after it was criticised as too confusing.

Adrian Maasz, Essex's primary care general manager, spoke out after the NHS Alliance said patients were often confused by the choices they faced when surgeries were closed at evenings and weekends.

These included walk-in centres, NHS Direct and out-of-hours services - the latter of which is contracted to the East of England Ambulance Service in some parts of Essex.

But Mr Maasz said anyone who needed a doctor could speak to one, and services were straightforward.

He added: "If someone has a medical problem for which they would normally visit their GP, which cannot wait until their practice is next open, all they have to do is ring their GP practice.

"They listen to the recorded information giving them either the out-of-hours phone number or divert automatically to the out-of-hours service."

A GP or senior professional then makes an assessment over the phone and gives the patient advice.

If more help is needed, an appointment is made either at the patient's home or at a medical centre.

Mr Maasz said: "The aim is for improved continuity of care and communication."