STAFF shortages mean that the number of hours the radiology department at the Chase Community Hospital operates will be cut in a bid to reduce waiting times at Alton Community Hospital.
In a letter to GPs and the North Hampshire Primary Care Trust, the North Hampshire Hospitals Trust says that temporary measures were put in place on Monday.
The action was needed because recruitment difficulties have meant that only 75 per cent of the total staff complement at the Chase, Alton Community Hospital and North Hampshire Hospital (NHH) is filled.
The letter says: "These positions have accumulated as a result of retirement, maternity leave and natural turnover.
"However, we have not been able to recruit replacements and the department is finding it increasingly more difficult to provide a service, both in hours and out of hours.
"Clearly it is not sustainable to try and continue as we are, so we're planning to implement a number of changes which will affect both GP and internal access to some of the radiology services."
The letter says that changes will be taking place at the North Hampshire Hospital - the acute hospital in Basingstoke -to try to improve the provision there.
"One intention is to temporarily reduce the number of nuclear medicine sessions, which will allow more radiographer time in the main x-ray department," the trust explains.
However the biggest change will affect the Chase Hospital in Conde Way, Bordon, with the five morning a week radiology service reduced to three mornings a week.
The letter says: "Workload comparisons between NHH, Alton and Chase have shown that there is a considerable general x-ray capacity at Chase Hospital.
"While we have looked at the possibility of transferring patients to the Chase for examinations, it is much more practical to reduce the number of sessions currently undertaken at Chase and move the radiographer to Alton, where there are current staff shortages.
"Currently a general x-ray service is provided five mornings a week at Chase Hospital and we plan to reduce this to three mornings a week - Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
"This will enable the radiographer to work at Alton for two sessions a week (all day on a Wednesday) thus maximising the throughput of patients and reducing the need for radiographic cover from NHH."
The letter also says that a new book appointments system will be adopted by both Alton and NHH to try and spread the demand on the radiology department more evenly through the week.
"We are also very unhappy that our waiting times are long but hope that by implementing the above measures we will be able to address some of these problems over the next few months and stop the problems from getting any worse."
The temporary measures will run through until the end of October when a review of the staffing situation will be carries out.
"During these three months we will continue to do everything we can to recruit additional staff and review the way in which the radiology services are currently provided," the letter states.