HOSPITAL waiting lists in Bury are meeting Government targets months ahead of schedule.

Figures released for November of last year show that no patient under Bury Health Care NHS Trust is waiting more than 15 months for treatment.

And the total number of people waiting for treatment in the borough was also down.

The Government deadline for NHS Trusts across the country to reduce the number of patients waiting 15 months or more for treatment is the end of March. But Bury Health Care NHS Trust reported no patients having to wait this length of time in October or November. And no patients were waiting 12 months for treatment in November. Total waiting list figures in November were down by 7.1 per cent, with 1,996 patients waiting for treatment compared with 2,148 the previous month.

Bury and Rochdale Health Authority is also on track to meet the Government target. The authority's figures for patients waiting 15 months were down by 70.2 per cent in November, a reduction of 33 patients, leaving only 14 on the waiting list. The total number of people waiting was also down by 2.2 per cent with 9,297 patients waiting compared with 9,506 in October.

North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust met the Government 15-month target in November and in October five patients were on this waiting list. In total, waiting lists fell by 5.6 per cent in November, with 4,078 patients waiting for treatment compared with 4,322 the previous month.

Health Minister John Hutton said: "The NHS is making real progress on reducing waiting times but there are real challenges ahead. By April this year, patients should not be waiting longer than 15 months for treatment and already 66 per cent of NHS Trusts have met this objective."