HOSPITALS in East Lancashire look set to benefit from a £100,000 Government reward for improving patient care.

The Department of Health has offered the incentive for any Accident and Emergency department which ensured at least 94 per cent of its patients were treated or admitted to hospital within four hours from March 1-31.

The long term aims are that all but exceptional cases, who cannot be moved for their own safety, will be dealt with within four hours.

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, which runs the main hospitals in the area, achieved a figure of 94.17 per cent last month - although confirmation of the awards are not due to be made until the end of next week.

If the Trust is awarded the money it could be spent on any equipment of the hospitals' choice.

Duncan Bladen, emergency services collaborative program manager, said: "The project to increase the number of patients treated within four hours actually began last March.

"And staff have been working very hard ever since so I'm pretty confident we will get this.

"But it is not as though we have had to make a massive leap because we were knocking on the door on 94 per cent at the beginning of March.

"It is vital, however, that we do get this award and the overall target is very important.

"I am not a great fan of targets personally, but the simple fact here is this is a good target and most people working around emergency care would agree."

Rob Bellingham, the Trust's director of modernisation, said: "This is a great achievement for the Trust.

"It reflects the hard work and dedication of staff in ensuring that patients requiring emergency services are treated both quickly and appropriately.

"The additional funds will be used to further improve care for patients."

The news has also been welcomed by the newly formed East Lancashire Hospitals Patient Forum, which is a monitoring group designed to improve services for patients.

Chairman Mollie Manthorpe said: "This is fantastic news in two ways.

"There is the extra money which will be used to benefit patients in a number of ways and also the fact that waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments continue to go down."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "To hit 94 per cent of patients seen and treated in four hours is a great achievement.

"We want patients, wherever they are in the country, to be seen in the quickest possible time.

"And East Lancashire is clearly improving its services for local patients."