TARGETS for patients to be diagnosed, assessed and receive their first treatment within 18 weeks of referral are being met at East Lancashire Hospitals.

Latest performance figures show that 98.7 per cent of outpatients are treated within that time, against a government target of 95 per cent. Figures also show 92.8 per cent of those whose conditions require a stay in hospital are treated in that time, compared to a government target of 90 per cent.

The figures are in stark contrast to those of 10 years ago, when Department of Health archives show that more than a quarter of all patients in East Lancashire waited more than five months to be admitted to hospital for surgery, and almost one in five waited that long for an outpatient procedure.

The Department of Health is planning to raise the bar again later this year, with new targets requiring an even greater percentage of patients to have their first definitive treatment within 18 weeks.

Val Bertenshaw, director of operations for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Everyone in the trust has worked hard to achieve such a strong position against these targets, and further analysis shows us that those who did wait longer than 18 weeks usually missed out on the target only by a few days.

“Targets are set to get even tougher in September, but the trust’s strong performances place us in a great position to rise to that challenge.”

Simon Hill, consultant gynaecologist and 18-week lead for the trust, added: “We are always striving to make it even better, and the new targets will help.”