PATIENTS in East Lancashire were today told that the North West has the longest hospital waiting lists in the country.

The number of people waiting for hospital treatment in the region rose by 1,410 to 189,290 between June and September this year.

The figures were released after two East Lancashire MPs welcomed the amount of cash being given to the NHS locally.

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice told the Commons last night that the East Lancashire Health Authority had been given an extra £600,000 in this financial year and a total of £12.24 million next year, the highest real terms increase for five years.

Hyndburn's Labour MP Greg Pope said: "The extra £600,000 for this year will deliver real benefits to patient care and will be channelled immediately to where it is needed most.

"It will be targeted to tackle emergency admissions to hospital and waiting lists."

But Liberal Democrat health spokesman Simon Hughes claimed it was only a 1.7 per cent rise - the lowest for five years and compared badly with the Tories' average of three per cent. He added that he did not believe the cash would meet the winter needs of the NHS in East Lancashire.

The NHS has revealed that in the North West the number of people waiting for less than a year has gone up by 400 to 181,530.

But the number of patients waiting between 12 and 17 months for treatment has increased sharply by 1,090 to 7,700.

And there are 55 patients in the North West who have been waiting for treatment for longer than 18 months, a wait described by Health Secretary Frank Dobson as "simply unacceptable."

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