ABOLISHING 12-hour trolley waits in accident and emergency departments is at the top of Burnley Health Care NHS Trust's spending plan for the coming year.

The Trust's finance director David Meakin yesterday told trust board members: "It's going to be a very challenging year to find the resources to match the services we are trying to provide."

But, despite this, a target of cutting long trolley waits in A&E departments has been set. The aim is that 90 per cent of patients spend no more than four hours on trolleys. A goal of a 21-week limit for outpatients waiting for treatments, to be achieved by November 2002, has also been set.

Mr Meakin reported a £5.2million shortfall in the economy of the East Lancashire Health Community.

He said the Burnley trust faced financial pressures of £4.4million for the coming year to cover various staff pay awards and discretionary points -- most of which will be funded by the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust.

Areas in need not covered by funding but deemed in need of finance include women's and children's care, outpatients and diagnostics and acute services -- running up a total £3.5million.

This shortfall will form part of the East Lancashire recovery plan to be discussed in an East Lancashire-wide meeting on May 3.

But Mr Meakin said it was hoped some of the Trust's targets will be met by a £1million new medical ward, which will provide Burnley General Hospital with 28 extra beds.

This has been made possible by bringing forward the cash from the Trust's 2002/3 capital spending plan.

Chief executive David Chew described the move as of "critical importance."

"Without that we wouldn't be able to get through the next 12 months," he added.

He said the shortfall of beds on surgical wards had meant all too often the hospital had lost patients to private practitioners.

Medical director Doctor Peter Ehrhadt added: "A new ward would not just be good for the organisation but, from my point of view, it would be good for the patient.

"The best care for the patient would be provided if we can nurse that patient on the ward where that patient should be.

"It's likely to be good for the Trust because it's ridiculous that we're sending people home or telling them not to come back because there's no beds for them."