MONEY to reduce long waits in hospital A&E departments has been announced by Health Secretary Alan Milburn at the same time as an Audit Commission report which states waiting times have got worse in the last five years.

In Wycombe Hospital the length of time people with minor injuries waited in A&E before being treated, used to be about two hours. Now it is four or more.

Mr Milburn said waiting was the public's mainconcern and the government was determined to tackle it.

Roy Darby, chief executive of South Bucks Trust, which runs Wycombe Hospital, said he did not know how much money would come Wycombe's way. But he said the money was aimed at tackling problems directly relevant to Wycombe Hospital.

These include long trolley waits for patients while staff try to find them a bed in a ward. No patient is meant to be kept waiting for more than 12 hours. But Wycombe Hospital got a black mark from the NHS last month for failing on trolley waits though things are now improving.

There should also be money to free up beds by buying private operations, so the hospital is not always full.

A full hospital can mean cancelled operations and closing it to all but emergency admissions. This happened last week when patients had to be sent to other hospitals under the diversion system.

Mr Darby said he welcomed measures to bring occupancy rates down and the prospect of more staff in A&E. Mr Milburn does not want people with non-urgent needs to be kept waiting for hours because they have to go to the back of the queue.

Mr Darby said the trust had already decided to go down this road by taking on three nurse practitioners who can see non urgent patients from assessment to discharge, while doctors give priority to heart attack or road accident victims.