TARGET CHASE FOR HOSPITAL

North Hampshire Hospital NHS Trust chief executive Mark Davies told his board at its monthly meeting: "Obviously it is a worrying trend but it has been expected. At this time of year there is huge pressure on beds."

Mr Davies said 37 patients with medical conditions were having to stay on the surgical wards because the hospital was so busy.

By the end of March, the hospital's surgical staff should have carried out a total of 2,119 in-patient operations for the financial year 2000/01 to hit its performance target.

Mr Davies said to bring the hospital back on track, managers would be making sure there were as few patients delayed in their discharges or transfers as possible. At the last count there were 48 such patients waiting to move, he added.

He said he also hoped to see non-emergency cases treated in the private sector, once negotiations had finished.

Mr Davies reassured the board: "The overall message is that we know where we are heading but we have got alarm bells ringing."

He told board members that out-patient appointment targets were being hit, but he warned that emergency admissions for all kinds of illnesses had put "huge pressure" on all services. There had been 40 admissions in one day alone.

The board heard staff had coped brilliantly while the eight high-dependency beds which had just come into operation would also make a difference.

The hospital's director of planning, Martyn Dell, cautioned that there was a limit to what the private sector could provide and added that the agreement with it would mostly cover day cases.

He said large amounts of new money from the Government had allowed an operating theatre in the NHS hospital to be upgraded, but work would not be taking place until March.

Dr Roland Guy, the hospital trust's acting medical director, said it was just as well there had been no flu epidemic so far.

He said staff should be congratulated for "all their extremely hard effort".