HOSPITAL waiting lists became a casualty of the New Year flu crisis in Burnley, health trust directors were told today.

The flu bug brought a major rush of medical patients to Burnley General, resulting in the postponement of all non-emergency operations because of the shortage of beds.

Today trust finance director David Meakin said that because of the level of emergency admissions it was unlikely the in-patient and day case waiting list targets would be met this year.

In a report to the board, he says the trust has received an extra £260,000 from East Lancashire Health Authority to address the issue.

He says: "My estimate of what we need to achieve the target is £530,000, but we will work with the money we have to get as close to the target as we can."

In his report, chief executive David Chew revealed the trust used 20 private nursing home beds to ease pressure on hospital beds during the flu crisis.

He said the trust had 90 beds available on New Year's eve, but within days all were in use and a further 70 medical patients were in beds used by other hospital specialities.

Some 43 out of 104 operating lists were lost between January 6 and January 14, he added.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.