DARENT Valley Hospital is going to be investigated over claims it manipulated its waiting list figures while Anne-Marie Dean was chief executive.

A report by the National Audit Office last week showed nine hospitals were guilty of fiddling waiting list figures to meet Government guidelines.

And it announced a further 13 hospitals, of which Darent Valley is one, are to be quizzed for having more than 10 per cent of patients on suspended waiting lists up to July 2001.

A suspended waiting list is where a patient misses an appointment and, rather than being struck off, is put on another list and has to make a new appointment. Another reason Darent Valley is being investigated is because two per cent of its patients have waited for more than a year for treatment.

Beleaguered chief executive Anne-Marie Dean was head of the hospital when the suspended waiting list was set up and only resigned last month 10 months after the News Shopper called for her to go.

The new hospital management, under chief executive Sue Jennings, says it is confident it has followed the correct procedures and the guidelines for the suspension of patients.

And it says it is "happy to co-operate with a National Audit Office Review".

A hospital spokesman said: "The trust continually scrutinises its procedures to ensure it is following best practice in the management of its waiting list.

"Only by regularly contacting patients and confirming they will be able to attend for their operation can we be confident we are managing the list effectively and have proved the validity of those patients waiting to come in."

He explained patients can be suspended if they cancel an appointment for personal reasons, for example, going on holiday.

Patients who fail to attend and do not let the hospital know in advance, can be removed from the list.

December 28, 2001 17:30