MORE patients were waiting for hospital treatment in Bury during May than in the previous month, latest figures show.

Bury Health Care NHS Trust's waiting lists rose 1 per cent, bringing the total number of people waiting for treatment up to 1,944 in May, compared to 1,926 in April.

A breakdown of the figures revealed that two patients had been waiting a year for treatment compared to one the month before, and 245 more patients were on the 13-week wait out-patient list, bringing the total up to 743, compared to 498 in April, an increase of 49.2 per cent.

The 26-week wait out-patient list was also up, by 13.4 per cent, with 93 people waiting for treatment compared to 82 in April.

Health bosses blamed the "slight" increase on a seasonal "bump" during April and May because of annual leave and the two Bank Holidays in May.

They also claimed the introduction of single-use instruments for tonsil and adenoid operations because of a theoretical risk of vCJD through re-usable instruments had an impact on the figures.

However, waiting lists for North Manchester Hospital were down slightly, by 0.6 per cent. There were 4,042 patients waiting for treatment compared to 4,066 in April.

Figures revealed that patients waiting 15 months for treatment were down by 60 per cent in May. Although there was an increase of 12.8 per cent, 968 patients in May compared to 858 in April, in waiting list figures for the 13-week out-patient list.