PATIENTS waiting more than a year for surgery may have to sit and sweat it out for even longer instead of being sent for treatment at another hospital.

People on waiting lists exceeding 12 months are often sent to alternative hospitals for operations.

But health chiefs may have to stop doing so owing to a number of factors, including cost and the rising number of people waiting a year for treatment.

The number of East Lancashire people waiting more than 12 months has risen from 48 at the end of March to more than 60.

The delays are for specialist treatment and surgery at hospitals outside East Lancashire and include seven youngsters awaiting operations at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Hospitals in Blackburn and Burnley have eliminated in-patient waits of more than a year. East Lancashire Health Authority has been offering patients who have waited 12 months a transfer to a shorter waiting list at another hospital.

But health chiefs may have to stop transferring patients because of the increasing number.

They are also worried about the financial implications of paying for treatment at other hospitals and other pressures on services.

The problem was today being discussed by members of East Lancashire Health Authority.

Nationally, waiting list figures have deteriorated in the past year with nearly 1.2 million awaiting admission to NHS hospitals.

The bleak picture is reflected in the North West with 62 of 155 UK patients waiting more than 18 months living in the region.

More than 3,000 North West patients are also waiting more than a year for treatment.

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