MORE patients than ever are being treated by the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Authority and waiting lists are falling.

According to the Trust's annual report for the last year, the Trust dealt with an extra 2,500 in-patient and day care cases, and an extra 2,000 out-patients.

The maximum time anyone had to wait for an operation was maintained at 12 months while other waiting lists, such as out-patient visits to see consultants, fell so that 87 per cent of patients saw a specialist within 13 weeks.

The trend towards day surgery means day care cases form two out of three of all admissions, compared with one in five just five years ago.

And the Trust, which held its annual general meeting yesterday, is also due to spend an extra £1 million this year to reduce waiting lists still further. A further quarter of a million pounds is earmarked for staffing three "high dependency" beds at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

These are used by patients who are well enough to be taken off intensive care but still require extra nursing before they can return to an ordinary ward.

Chief executive John Thomas has outlined successes such as the opening by the Duchess of Gloucester of the new maternity unit at Queen's Park Hospital, the appointment of seven new consultants and the introduction of an emergency theatre which means emergency cases can be operated on without having to cancel planned surgery. The Trust is also progressing with its plan to have all hospital services concentrated at Queen's Park Hospital by 2006, following the eventual closure of Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

"We've spent £43 million so far and it will cost another £40 million," said Mr Thomas.

"We would like to have a single site hospital within ten years but at the end of the day the money has to come from the taxpayer or private finance."

"All the staff I've spoken to see the benefits of having everything under one roof," he said.

As well as praising the Trust's 3,000-strong workforce, Mr Thomas thanked the 300-or-so volunteers who play a vital role helping out at the area's hospitals.

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