MORE than 1,400 appointments for patients with eye problems were cancelled in three months in East Lancashire, it was revealed today.

And the chief officer of a patient watchdog body said he was concerned that waiting times for appointments with ophthalmology consultants were sometimes more than 13 months.

Nigel Robinson, of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Community Health Council, said waiting lists to see four of the five eye specialists at Blackburn Royal Infirmary had lengthened in the last four months from a maximum of 50 weeks to a maximum of 59 weeks.

Mr Robinson said: "Patients are routinely sent a letter advising them that there is a minimum of six to 12 months wait."

The Community Health Council is meeting tonight in Clitheroe to discuss the problem.

Burnley Health Care NHS Trust has a contract to provide all ophthalmology services in East Lancashire and runs clinics at Burnley General, Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Clitheroe Community Hospital and Accrington Victoria.

Two years ago, the East Lancashire Health Authority warned the bosses of the Burnley trust that the contract could be taken out of their hands due to dissatisfaction with the service.

Today, a spokeswoman for the ELHA said the authority was seriously concerned by the problems and planned to meet with the Blackburn and Burnley based trusts next week to find ways to deal with them. Val Smith, surgical services manager of Burnley Health Care NHS Trust, said consultants had seen nine per cent more new patients in the last year than previously but waiting lists had lengthened because patient referrals were up 11 per cent.

She said although 1,405 appointments were cancelled, consultants saw 2,208 new patients and 6,607 other patients.

Mrs Smith said: "Although our doctors are seeing more patients, waiting times are still a growing problem. Cataracts are common in older people and so they are becoming more common nationwide as the population ages."

The department hopes to appoint an extra consultant using cash from the East Lancashire Health Authority's fund to cut waiting lists and the Hyndburn Primary Care Group, but it may take six months.

She said cancelled appointments were due to doctors taking sick leave or their annual entitlement of ten weeks' study and holiday leave. Mrs Smith said doctors gave at least six weeks' notice when taking leave, but cancelled appointments were still inevitable as some clinics were booked up months in advance.

She said: "In Burnley, appointments for new patients are only made a month in advance after doctors have booked leave but, in Blackburn, clinics in June are already booked up."

Janice Atkinson, press officer for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said the trust would look at the system used in Burnley to see if it could ease the problem.

Mrs Smith said the Burnley NHS Trust was considering applying for about £100,000 extra Government funding to help cut waiting times for cataract operations with new equipment and staff.

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