The Horton Hospital is failing to meet six out of eight Government Patient's Charter standards, it was revealed today.

Figures for 1997/1998 show patients are waiting longer than they should for assessment, treatment and admission to beds in the Banbury hospital's casualty department.

Patients are also waiting too long for outpatient appointments and some are not being seen within statutory limits set out by the Government.

Under last year's charter, 95 per cent of patients in casualty departments were supposed to be seen by medical staff within five minutes and their needs assessed.

The hospital only hit this target in 79 per cent of cases.

The charter standard has now changed so that they have to be seen within 15 minutes.

A total of 90 per cent of patients are supposed to wait a maximum of one hour between assessment and the start of treatment. The trust only hit 73 per cent.

And all patients are supposed to be found a bed within two hours of treatment. The trust scored 95 per cent.

The hospital is also struggling to meet outpatient targets.

A total of 88 per cent of patients were seen within 30 minutes of their appointment time as set out in the charter. It should be at least 90 per cent. And 85 per cent were given an appointment within the "good practice" target of 13 weeks. The target is at least 90 per cent.

Under the charter, all patients should be seen within a maximum time of 26 weeks. The hospital only achieved this target in 97 per cent of cases.

Gavin Boyle, hospital director of operations, said these were problems inherited under the old management of the hospital.

The hospital, whose chief executive was Louise Wallace, was managed by the Horton Hospitals NHS Trust until April this year when it was amalgamated into the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mr Boyle said: "We are achieving two of the important standards - but nobody is perfect and there is certainly room for improvement."

Mr Boyle said part of the problem was increased emergency admissions and added that various schemes had been introduced to improve quality of service over the year.

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