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Salford hospital trust slammed for waiting list figures blunder

19/12/2001

SALFORD Royal Hospitals NHS Trust "inappropriately adjusted" waiting list figures in order to meet government targets, a new report says.

The trust, where 1,382 patients were affected between September 1998 and July 2001, is among nine singled out in a report by the National Audit Office - but Salford comes in for some of the heaviest criticism.

The adjustments were a "major breach" of trust, and "inconsistent with the conduct of proper business," it said.

More than 1,000 patients were dropped from waiting lists for surgery at Hope Hospital. Some patients were forced to wait considerably longer than they should have.

The investigation by the independent financial watchdog found that nine trusts in England manipulated their lists to show they were treating patients within the 18-month target set by ministers.

Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust excluded patients waiting more than 18 months from its "official" list and out-patients were only included one month before their appointments.

The NAO report suggests that while some patients may have been unaffected by the actions, the conditions of others "may have deteriorated during the longer wait".

Trust bosses have claimed that they hadn't intended to fiddle figures or deceive but that the irregularities were caused by poor administration.

• For a full report and reaction, see Thursday's Salford Advertiser