HEALTH chiefs today warned that league tables showing the number of deaths in operating theatres could reflect badly on East Lancashire surgeons.

They believe plans to create performance tables showing the number of patients who die in hospitals could be misinterpreted because of the district's poor public health record.

Figures from hospitals across the country will be published by the government in a bid to drive up standards in the NHS.

The move is also designed to create an early-warning system after two doctors in Bristol were allowed to continue operating despite secret figures showing the number of infants dying on their operating tables was five times above the national average.

But East Lancashire health managers and watchdogs are concerned that the raw statistics may be open to misinterpretation. Simon Neville, director of corporate development at Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said: "There are two sides to this. On one hand we welcome anything which helps consumers and their choice but on the other hand we are concerned about the information being interpreted properly.

"A big concern to medical people is that a hospital in a particularly deprived catchment area might be compared to one in a more affluent borough. The different figures may not reflect on surgeons' skills but the general health of the population."

The plans, announced this week by Health Secretary MP Frank Dobson, are also aimed at giving patients and their families more information about the risks they face when undergoing surgery and are likely to come into force next year.

Joanna Rigby, of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Community Health Council (CHC), said: "These plans are fairly new so we haven't had a chance to discuss them yet and while we welcome more openness we would also warn against the dangers of misinterpretation.

"Any interpretation placed on local statistics would have to be compared with local circumstances."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.