EAST Lancashire Hospitals is out-performing its counterparts for waiting times – but patients are waiting longer than last year.

News statistics show that 7.1 per cent of patients attending Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital in February waited more than 18 weeks.

However, this was a slight increase on the 6.8 per cent recorded the year before.

Nationally according to the King's Fund, which analyses how the health system in England can be improved, 15 per cent of patients waited more than 18 weeks for treatment during the same month, the worst results in three years.

The Government said this figure included some patients who postponed their own treatment, and insisted the real figure was 10.2 per cent.

Waiting for hospital treatment is measured from the date when a GP writes a letter asking for their patient to be seen until that treatment is started.

The NHS constitution promises that this will not take more than 18 weeks.

Lynn Wissett, deputy chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said the trust continually monitored waiting times so it could take action quickly if waiting times increased.

She said: “In February 2011, the month covered by the King's Fund study, patients waited an average of 8.6 weeks for treatment that required an overnight stay in hospital, and an average of 3.3 weeks for day-case procedures.

“We also monitor the time waited by the five per cent of patients who have waited longest for their treatment.

“In February, those who had waited longest for an inpatient procedure had waited an average of 19.4 weeks, and for an outpatient procedure it was 12.9 weeks.

“This monitoring helps us ensure that the small number of patients who have, for any reason, waited longer than 18 weeks, are treated as quickly as possible.”

Tim Ellis, Unison's East Lancashire organiser for health, said increased waiting times were 'alarming'.

He said: “They show how the NHS is suffering from the Government efficiency cuts in NHS funding.

“East Lancashire Hospitals is planning to lose 1,000 staff over the next three years as a result of these cuts.

“The situation in our NHS is getting worse and care for patients is clearly at risk.”