WAITING lists for surgery have fallen to their lowest level since 1998, say health bosses.

By December 2004, there were 4,408 people waiting for non-urgent surgery for both in-patient and day case treatments at hospitals in Lancaster, Kendal and Barrow.

In 1998 - the year the Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust was formed - there were more than 6,500 people waiting.

The drop in numbers goes some way towards the trust's targets of ending waiting time completely by 2008, it is claimed.

The figures were among a number of successes announced by trust chiefs last week.

They say there are only 300 people waiting more than six months for in-patient and day case treatment, and no-one waiting longer than nine months.

Seven years ago there were 1,627 people waiting longer than six months and 708 waiting longer than nine months.

Trust chief operating officer Kevin McGee says there is also good news in out-patients waiting times with no patient waiting longer than 17 weeks for an appointment.

"There are massive differences. It's a real compliment to the staff and the way they work," he says.

Mr McGee says the trust treats all patients on the basis of clinical priority and so there has been no downside to slashing waiting lists.

However, he says that more money has been injected into the system to allow the trust to recruit more nurses, doctors and consultants.

The trust now needs to improve its waiting lists for people who are referred directly by their GPs for services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, he goes on.

And he adds that it is now gearing up for an even tougher target - by 2008 no-one must wait longer than a total of 18 weeks from the time of referral by their GP to when they have appropriate treatment.

Trust chief executive Ian Cumming, comments: "This further reduction is fantastic news for the community and a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our staff.

"We will continue to work to reduce waiting times further with our objective being to have virtually eliminated waiting by 2008."

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