North Warwickshire health chiefs have come under fire over problems with dental appointments and blood tests in Atherstone.

A meeting of Warwickshire County Council's adult social care & health overview & scrutiny committee this week was told of lengthy delays with some patients opting to go private because vital test results were needed.

Cllr Margaret Bell (Con, Hartshill and Mancetter) said: "There is a real divide opening up between those who can pay and go privately and those who rely on NHS services.

"I know these aren't emergency services but they are important routine check-ups that people need."

She explained how she had called on a private company to carry out blood tests in her home after being told that there was nearly a four-week delay.

Cllr Bell said: "I usually go to Atherstone – a community-based phlebotomy service – and at the moment, the waiting time is horrendous. I checked on Sunday this week and the first available test is on October 21.

"I have to have regular blood tests and twice I've paid because I just couldn't get a blood test at the right time. George Eliot Hospital is offering no services at all at the moment to the public and neither are any of the GP services and I just don't understand who some can and some can't."

She added that she was also concerned about those struggling to get NHS dental check-ups after being told by her own dentist that they were not seeing NHS patients unless it was an absolute emergency.

Those concerns were echoed by Cllr June Tandy, a representative from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, who said: "I had to wait three weeks for a blood test and I am very concerned about people who may not be able to get a dentist appointment especially if they don't have the funds to pay for the private treatment."

Councillors were told that these issues appeared to be solely related to the area covered by the North Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group and committee chairman Cllr Wallace Redford (Con, Cubbington and Leek Wootton) said he would be taking action.

He said: "There are issues and I will be writing to the CCG."