BUCKS' hospitals are still struggling to meet a key waiting time target as they try to clear a backlog of patients.

Performance against the national ‘referral to treatment’ target has slumped in the last year - meaning hundreds of Bucks patients have waited longer than 18 weeks for their hospital treatment to start.

The latest figures, for November, show treatment did not start on time for 20 per cent of patients, making Buckinghamshire one of the worst performing areas in the country on this measure.

A separate indicator shows five per cent of those referred to Wycombe, Stoke Mandeville or Amersham Hospital waited more than 29 weeks for treatment to start.

National guidelines say 90 per cent of patients should fall within the 18-week target.

The main specialties breaching the standard have been orthopaedics, plastics and opthalmology.

Bob Peet, the hospitals’ chief operating officer, said a backlog of work had made it difficult to meet the targets.

Speaking at the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust board meeting today, he said a recovery plan has been in place, adding: “We are going to get to the point in January where 90 per cent of our patients are treated within the 18 week pathway.”

In October last year 64 patients were removed from the hospital waiting lists, despite being referred by their doctor. They had been referred for 'low priority procedures', but health chiefs said they did not meet the referral criteria (see link below).