THE PATIENT waiting list at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has fallen by nearly one thousand since January -- one of the largest reductions of any NHS Trust in the North West.

The hospital narrowly beat its yearly target for waiting lists which stood at 8,134 in March, according to figures just released by the NHS Executive.

Figures for the North West Lancashire Health Authority show its waiting list stood at 11,738 while waiting list times in North West region as a whole rose from 164,000 in March to 166,500 in April.

Victoria Hospital's director of planning and information Peter Dewdney said: "I am very pleased we have attained our yearly target and this is thanks to the very hard work of our staff.

"The opening of an additional operating theatre at the hospital in January has enabled us to achieve this reduction.

"It is difficult to set specific targets because there is constant upward pressure on services and the situation can change from month to month.

"Our target for the coming 12 months is 8,186 and we aim to beat that figure. By working closely with North West Lancashire Health Authority and Lancashire Primary Care Group we are confident we can do it."

The waiting list figures include patients who are waiting to be admitted for treatment either as a day case or ordinary admission and does not include emergency cases or outpatients.