Health chiefs have appointed a 'troubleshooter' to make a huge reduction in the queues for hospital treatment.

Lesley Hill will co-ordinate efforts to reduce the numbers of people waiting and the length of time they wait for non-urgent in-patient treatment in the district.

Bradford has been set one of the toughest targets in the country - to slash lists by 12 per cent from the level at Christmas last year when 12,500 people were waiting for treatment.

A total of £3.1 million will be spent in the next six months to meet the target and 5,050 extra operations and procedures will be carried out.

The number of people waiting more than 12 months for treatment is intended to be wiped out. And health chiefs hope to reduce seasonal variations in waiting lists.

Latest figures show that in August there were 569 people who had waited more than a year for treatment. The total waiting list stood at 12,423.

Mrs Hill said the target set by regional health chiefs was difficult this year but she was confident it could be achieved.

It was important to get internal measures within hospitals working to cut the lists, as well as work with GPs who were developing minor surgery to treat people outside hospitals.

"We want to make sure there is a sustained reduction in waiting times and waiting lists so at the end of the day the patient is treated appropriately, according to need and within 12 months," she said.

"Waiting lists are going down steadily and the trusts have done an awful lot of work to make sure that happens. I have been impressed by the spirit on this - people generally want to sort this out."

Ann Wagner, director of performance management at the health authority, said the new post meant short-term 'troubleshooting' could be co-ordinated more effectively and a long-term strategy developed. Major efforts had already been made at hospitals in Bradford.

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