An NHS walk-in centre is to be built to ease the pressure on a hospital's casualty department.

The centre at Crawley Hospital will give quick access to advice and treatment for minor ailments and injuries without a prior appointment.

Crawley Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust successfully bid for Government money to develop the service.

It is one of 11 similar schemes unveiled by the Government as part of a £40 million programme.

Nurses or doctors will also be able to prescribe drugs from the centre which will help ease demands on busy GPs.

Health Minister John Hutton said: "We know that the public want and expect fast and convenient access to services in primary care.

"Some have even been put off making an appointment with their GP because they could not get a routine appointment outside normal working and travelling times.

"They want the flexibility to be able to choose to access services at times and locations which are convenient to their lifestyle."

The NHS Plan promises that by December 2004 all patients should be seen by a GP within two working days or by a primary care professional within one working day.

All A&E patients should be seen within four hours. Mr Hutton said the new walk-in centre would help meet these targets.

The PCT and the hospitals trust both received one out of a possible three stars in the Government's latest star ratings with access to care highlighted as one of the areas needing investment.

The new walk-in centre will support a further multi-million package of improvements to community and hospital services planned for the region.

Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority is today expected to approve proposals for the future development of services which have been drawn up by PCTs in Crawley and Horsham.

Proposals include setting up an urgent care and treatment centre and a chronic disease management centre at Crawley.

An intermediate care centre is also planned to act as a bridge between primary and secondary care and support patients getting ready to leave hospital.

Other proposals include developing mental health services and expanding X-ray and CT scan facilities.

The plans were drawn up after former health secretary Alan Milburn backed the health authority's decision to throw out proposals to build a major hospital at Pease Pottage because of the cost it would involve.

Instead, East Surrey Hospital at Redhill will become the main hospital while services are expanded and revamped at the existing Crawley hospital in West Green.