A CHILDREN'S treatment area at York Hospital's accident and emergency department (A&E) is still not in use - more than three years after it was created.

Health bosses have no idea when youngsters will be able to be seen in the special section. At the moment it is being used as part of the general A&E department.

Now Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh has challenged Health Secretary Alan Milburn on exactly how much money had been "wasted" on the area, and when, if ever, it will be used for children.

The children's area was promised for the A&E department in January 2000 as part of a £2 million hospital revamp.

But while other changes to the accident and emergency department were delivered, including improvements to security, layout and X-ray link-ups, the planned area was not developed for children.

"I am very disappointed that this area has never been used for children," said Miss McIntosh. "Our taxes continue to rise and it does not inspire confidence when we see the money we have paid being wasted in this way."

She praised the work of staff at the hospital, but she said their commitment and dedication could be undermined by schemes such as this, which was wasting resources. A spokeswoman for York Hospitals NHS Trust said that when the new A&E department was planned, the trust's "aspiration" was to have a separate children's area. She said although this area was built into the development, it was not currently being used specifically for children, but as part of the general A&E department.

She said: "We hope that in future we will be able to streamline children coming into A&E in this area, but to do this we need specialist nurses and other staff. We will work with our Primary Care Trust to look at funding for this, alongside other priorities for funding as we need to continue to modernise the hospital."

York MP Hugh Bayley said: "The NHS is improving children's services and facilities throughput the hospital and York parents will have seen the difference in recent years. More investment is still needed. It's great to have a new A&E department. I fought hard for money, but got nowhere under the Tories. The Labour Government has hugely increased the budget for the NHS in York and long over-due improvements are now happening."

Updated: 08:22 Friday, February 27, 2004