SOARING waiting lists and an overflowing accident and emergency department have caused Ipswich Hospital to lose out on a share of £2 million, it emerged todayThe windfall is a quarterly figure given to regional strategic health authorities by the government as an incentive to reward hospitals and primary care trusts who achieve national criteria.

SOARING waiting lists and an overflowing accident and emergency department have caused Ipswich Hospital to lose out on a share of £2 million, it emerged today

The windfall is a quarterly figure given to regional strategic health authorities by the government as an incentive to reward hospitals and primary care trusts who achieve national criteria.

Among the targets Ipswich Hospital strived, but failed, to achieve between July and September this year was its aim to cut inpatient waiting lists to nine months and outpatients waiting lists to be reduced to 17 weeks.

The Heath Road hospital also failed to meet the Government target of 90 per cent of patients coming in to the A&E department being seen, discharge or admitted within four hours.

Spokeswoman for Ipswich Hospital Jan Rowsell today said although it had not been able to meet the Government's demands by September the management were determined to do so by early next year. She blamed the massive rise in people needing emergency treatment for the hospitals failure to meet the demands placed upon it.

Ms Rowsell said: "We have been exceptionally busy. The huge rise in emergency admissions does have a knock-on effect. We have every aspiration and hope to meet our targets, but what we need to do is to put people first.

"We are doing really well in some areas and have a way to go in others. We are determined to meet these targets by March."

Although Ipswich Hospital did meet its 12-month inpatient waiting list target last year the government has been gradually bringing down the criteria relating to waiting times added Ms Rowsell.

By 2005 it wants NHS Trusts to have inpatient waiting lists down to six months.

Ipswich is one of five major hospitals to miss out on a bumper payout.

Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital, James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, along with King's Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals will also lose out after failing to hit their targets.

The biggest payout in the region covering Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire was £309,315 to Addenbrooke's NHS Trust in Cambridge, with the East Anglian Ambulance Service getting £26,375.

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) across Suffolk fared better than the hospitals with Ipswich PCT receiving £8,941 for achieving its GP and PCP access targets. Suffolk Coastal PCT got £6,505 with Suffolk West PCT receiving £7,075.

Central Suffolk PCT also received nearly £9,000.

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