HEALTH watchdogs have accused hospital managers of "massaging" waiting list figures to meet government targets.

Now they are demanding that health bosses publish their own monthly waiting list figures rather than those from the Government.

Bury Community Health Council (CHC) chief officer Mr Paul Reynolds, said: "We are not getting the whole picture. They are being forced to meet Government targets and as a result they are massaging the figures."

He added: "The figures claim that the waiting lists are going down but that is just not the case. What is happening in the hospitals does not correspond with what it says on paper." Government figures reveal that the number of patients waiting for treatment at Bury hospitals has dropped by 149 to 2187 at the end of February. The numbers of Bury residents waiting for treatment at Bury hospitals and hospitals outside the area also fell. At the end of February 9729 residents were on hospitals waiting lists, 290 less than the previous month.

Mr Phillip Bacon, chief executive for Bury Health Care NHS Trust, responsible for running local hospitals, said: "We are delighted, the doctors, nurses and community staff have done an outstanding job as the number of patients we treated in the 12 months ending on March 31 was the highest ever." He added: "We are confident of meeting the government targets and will be using money announced in the budget on initiatives to reduce waiting lists even further."

Mr Bacon dismissed claims that the figures had been "massaged."

He said: "The figures from the Government are accurate and valid and we are happy to discuss them with anyone who wishes to.."

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