CREWE'S Leighton Hospital has slashed waiting lists as part of record cuts across the region.

South Cheshire hospitals, also including Chester and Macclesfield, topped the NHS waiting list tables in the north west after cutting nearly 3,000 people between March and November.

The figures, including a drop of nearly 800 in October alone, were announced as part of a national fall of 150,000 patients.

Leighton Hospital spokesman John Wicks said the centre had already reached a government target of 1,300.

"The number of people cut from the waiting list is now 1,508 and that means we have in fact reduced our waiting list size to below the level we were targeted to achieve by March this year," he said.

"But we always thought that we would need to be ahead of ourselves before the winter period because it's difficult to attend to people from the waiting list when you are treating emergency medical patients.

"We have done extremely well and it makes us one of the top performing hospitals in the north west. We have achieved more towards the national reduction than would have ordinarily been expected."

Health secretary Frank Dobson revealed the national figures broke all previous NHS records.

"This latest achievement by NHS staff is proof yet again of their skill and their commitment to delivering what matters most to patients - quicker access to treatment and shorter NHS waiting lists," he said.

"The success has been driven by £417million this year for the NHS in England, specifically to be spent on getting waiting lists down."

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