HUNDREDS of NHS patients are waiting longer to be treated in Southampton's hospitals, according to latest figures.

The October figures for Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust show increases in almost every category compared with the previous month.

Government targets state that 100 per cent of patients admitted to the accident and emergency department should be found a bed within four hours.

Some 84 per cent of patients were found a bed within this time in October, compared with 93 per cent in September.

In addition, the number of patients waiting more than 21 weeks for an appointment increased by 81 in October to stand at 280, and the number of patients waiting more than 13 weeks now stands at 1,545, compared with 1,470 in September.

The trust is aiming to reduce the maximum waiting time for a first outpatient appointment to 21 weeks and to have no patients, apart from trauma and orthopaedics, waiting more than 13 weeks by March.

Some 355 patients were waiting more than 12 months in October, compared with 351 in September, and 1,403 are now waiting more than nine months, compared with 1,288 in September.

During October, 1.4 per cent of elective operations were cancelled on the day of operation or after admission for non-medical reasons, compared with a cancellation rate of just 0.96 per cent in September.

The government target for cancelled operations is below one per cent.