Patient waiting times have been cut at Oxfordshire's major hospitals -- but the trust responsible for the improvements is saddled with a £5m debt as a result.

Waiting times have been cut in line with Government targets due to be introduced next year.

Managers working for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, responsible for Oxford's John Radcliffe, Churchill and Radcliffe Infirmary, and The Horton, Banbury, have managed to reduce surgery waiting times, so patients wait no longer than 11 months for their operations.

People waiting for outpatient appointments are also being seen within 17 weeks.

The figures are better than Government targets being introduced in March, which state that surgical patients must not wait longer than a year for an operation, and outpatients must see a consultant within 21 weeks.

But the trust has admitted the improvements have left it with about £5m of debt.

It is now concentrating on reducing long waits in casualty, which are still the highest in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

Chief executive David Highton said: "Our aim is to modernise and speed up patient care by increasing capacity.

"Over the past year we have worked hard to cut the time patients have to wait for an operation or to see a consultant.

"Over the next few months we will be increasing our efforts to tackle the long time which some patients have to wait in the emergency department before they're admitted to a hospital bed."

The trust hopes a new trauma unit will free up beds, while a new surgical emergency unit will allow many GP referrals to bypass A&E.

But managers have already exceeded their £335m budget for 2002-2003, by using agency nurses and transferring patients to private health providers.

They have now launched an action plan, including cutting costs on non-clinical equipment and employing more temporary staff from their in-house staff agency NHS Professionals.

Mr Highton said: "We're allowed to slip on our budget as long as we take it up in future years.

"But if the debt gets too big, then it could become a bit of a millstone around our necks."