Patients are being warned to stay away from Oxford's casualty unit unless they need urgent treatment because it has moved into cramped temporary accommodation.

Work to build the new £12m accident and emergency department at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, reached its second phase on December 4.

The existing unit has been closed to allow the contractors to begin its reconstruction.

Although the temporary unit has the same number of beds, the minor injuries waiting area is much smaller.

In place of the old 70-seat reception area, patients will have to wait for treatment in a corridor with just 30 seats.

Staff say they should not bring family or friends to wait with them because of the lack of space.

Emergency consultant Dr Rick Pullinger said: "It's fair to say that the waiting area is restricted for minor injury patients.

"We have a number of initiatives to try to reduce the waiting times to accommodate that, including "see and treat", where appropriate patients will be seen on arrival by a doctor or emergency nurse practitioner.

"Patients who are not sure which service to use should call NHS Direct initially or, if it's life threatening, they should call for an ambulance.

"They can also call their GP surgery, where they will be directed to an out-of-hours service."

Work started in September last year to create the new casualty centre. In the first phase, offices were converted into the temporary unit.

It has three resuscitation beds, five cubicles and 16 spaces for trolleys.

It will be used for a year until the former A&E unit has been refurbished.

Once it is ready, it will be combined with the temporary facility to create an expanded unit, including a children's section, by the end of 2004.

NHS Direct is available 24 hours a day on 0845 46 47.