Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare Trust has defended the reporting of its waiting lists following criticism from a government watchdog.

The trust has been named by watchdogs as among NHS trusts that run the risk of making errors in their waiting time records.

But a spokesman for the trust has confirmed that new measures will help prevent any such problems. The Audit Commission had said the trust needed to tighten its procedures to make sure mistakes were not made in the reporting of the number of people waiting for treatment.

In total, forty-one trusts were examined by the commission after auditors spotted discrepancies.

In its report, the commission named three trusts that were deliberately misreporting and another 19 where there was evidence of mistakes. Winchester was among 15 found to have system weaknesses that increased the risk of reporting errors, painting a potentially misleading picture of the local situation.

The trusts have until the end of June to tell NHS chief executive, Nigel Crisp, how they are addressing the problem.

Winchester MP, Mark Oaten, said: "Generally, the report shows the Government's obsession with targets and penalising hospitals is forcing them into impossible positions and, regrettably on occasions, to juggle with figures.

"Having spent some time with the surgical secretaries at Winchester and the people administering the waiting lists, I have confidence that they have an excellent system. I'm surprised to see Winchester mentioned."

A spokeswoman for Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust said: "The Audit Commission was positive about the trust's commitment to maintaining accurate records. It confirms that we have a waiting list policy that gives all staff clear guidance on accurate reporting and definitions.

"Only two out of six areas were highlighted as having some system weakness in the way some patients' waiting times were recorded, Inpatients waiting six months or less for admission and outpatients seen within 13 weeks of GP referral.

"The incompatibility of the IT systems has contributed to the weakness. Work is now ongoing to replace the hospital information system. In the meantime, we've strengthened our systems."