A community health watchdog has called for a better deal for Bradford's patients after new figures revealed waiting lists have gone up since Labour came into power.

The Department of Health's figures show that national waiting lists have fallen in only 31 of the country's 100 health authorities indicating that nearly a third were meeting early the Government's pledge to reduce waiting lists overall by next April.

But in Bradford and Keighley waiting lists have risen 1,108, from 10,967 in March 1997 to 12,075 in September this year. That compares with a jump of 2,110 in Leeds, up from 13,721 to 15,831, and an increase of 1,151 in North Yorkshire, from 15,315 to 16,466.

However neighbouring Calderdale and Kirklees was one of the health authorities which reduced its lists, by 376 to 11,515.

But Keighley health bosses say their waiting lists have decreased in recent months.

Airedale NHS Trust has slashed its waiting list in the last six months from 4,400 to 3,600.

Finance boss Janet Crouch said there was an increase between March 1997 and April this year when it rose from 2,749 to 4,400 but new government money, specifically to reduce waiting lists and new management initiatives, had helped make reductions since April this year.

"We have a long term plan to reduce the waiting list which has involved opening an extra ward over the winter period when there is the biggest demand on beds and created a medical assessment unit designed to get people home as quickly as possible,'' she said.

Extra theatre sessions had been established and the theatre was being used at Wharfedale General Hospital where there was spare capacity.

Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley and Ilkley, said: "More money has been and is being put in to bring waiting lists down so I am very concerned to hear that they are still rising. I shall be having a word with Frank Dobson's office and writing to the health authority to try and find out why this should be.

"I would like to know why we are not one of the 31 and why whatever additional money we're getting isn't sufficient to cope with whatever problems that are keeping the numbers up.''

Today, chairman of Airedale Community Health Council Councillor John Godward said: "It's very good that nearly a third of all health authorities have shortened their waiting lists but now we want to see waiting lists in Bradford coming down as quickly as possible.

"Bradford people are still getting a fairly good deal but it's not as good as it should be."

However he added: "The Government was very bold to say it would reduce the waiting lists when we have a rising population of elderly people who, it would seem, are requiring more and more treatment."

Ann Wagner, Bradford Health Authority's director of performance management, defended the authority and said it was on target to reduce its waiting lists to 10,895 in accordance with Government guidelines by March next year.

"It is true that waiting lists have steadily increased since March 1997 peaking in April 1998 when they hit over 12,900," she said, adding that the September 1998 figure of 12,075 was a drop of 338 from the previous month.

"Reducing waiting lists and treatment times remains a top priority for the NHS in Bradford. As a district we have been set one of the most demanding waiting list reduction targets in the country. Currently we are on plan to hit those targets by the end of March 1999. We are also on line to have no-one waiting over 12 months by then."

Mrs Wagner said 525 patients had been waiting over 12 months in September 1998, down 44 since August and down 842 since the same time last year.

And she said the authority would be helped by a cash injection of £321,000 from the Government's performance fund which was announced last week and will help pay for additional treatment for patients.

She blamed increased waiting lists on the growing population, and an increase in emergency admissions which had a knock-on effect on the scheduled workload.

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