THE North-West is close to fulfilling the Government's promise to end the misery of patients who wait more than 18 months for treatment, although the total number on hospital waiting lists rose by 3,870.

In the region as a whole the number of people waiting for treatment went up by two per cent on the previous quarter to 193,150 - half the national 4.5 per cent rise.

But the number waiting for more than 18 months fell by 45 per cent to just 30.

The number waiting for between 12 and 17 months went up by 610 to 8,320 and for less than 11 months by 3,280 to 184,810.

In England as a whole the rise in waiting lists was 54,740 to a total of 1,262,260 of whom 974 had been on the lists for more than 18 months. Health Secretary Frank Dobson said: "It's no good pretending that this isn't bad news. It is. But it's not unexpected.

"In the North-West region, the picture is rather better. At the end of December there was a 45 per cent drop in the number of people waiting more than 18 months for treatment.

"The increase in the total waiting list since the end of September, at two per cent, is well below the national average of four and a half per cent.

"The North-West region also benefited to the tune of £22.4 million from the government's decision, announced on October 14, to help with the demands that winter places on the NHS."

He gave examples of the use of the cash including spending money on patients who had been waiting a long time for treatment which should ensure that there was nobody who had been waiting for more than a year.

Money also enabled community care packages to be prepared to allow 40 patients in Bury whose discharge had been delayed to be allowed out of hospital and unblock beds for new patients.

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