FYLDE hospitals are fighting fit according to the Government's latest health league tables.

Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Community Health Trust, which manages eight local hospitals and healthcare units, scored a top five-stars in ten key areas of waiting time - first in the country in nine of them.

And Blackpool Victoria Hospital, in a different group, achieved no fewer than 29 five-star marks, despite an increase of nearly 2,000 in-patients and day-care cases, and nearly 8,000 outpatients.

Victoria business planner Michael Maguire said: "Our ability to maintain a high level of performance despite the rise in emergency medical admissions is good news for our local residents and is due to the dedication and hard work of our staff, for which we are extremely grateful."

Its only poor performances, with one star, were in plastic surgery outpatient waiting lists and day-case inguinal hernias.

The trust has put on extra outpatient clinics and says its day-case hernia patients often have to stay in overnight because of their advanced age.

The Community Trust's hospitals at Fleetwood, Rossall, Devonshire Road, Wesham, South Shore, Lytham, Clifton and the psychiatric unit at Blackpool Victoria, kept waits to a minimum for outpatient treatment, admissions and accident and emergency care, with no operations cancelled.

Chief executive Philip Scully was delighted: "Yet again our record regionally, and even nationally, compares extremely well," he said. "There are many high scores, and it's especially pleasing to see a few national top rankings.

"This would not be possible without the determination and hard work of all our staff.

"I want to thank them for their commitment to maintaining such high standards."

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