GWENT hospitals are trying to get "ahead of the game" on waiting- times, which are still too long, according to an NHS trust boss.

The service's performance on waiting times across Wales was slammed last week in a National Audit Office report which cited inefficiency, unfairness and lack of value for money.

But Gwent's rate of improvement has been greater than many other parts of Wales, said Allan Davies, Gwent Healthcare Trust's head of performance.

"The target for outpatient waits is a maximum 18 months, but we hope that in all specialities except orthopaedics we will achieve a maximum 15-month outpatient waiting time by the end of March," said Mr Davies.

"Unfortunately, we cannot do it in orthopaedics because surgeons are too busy trying to hit the 12-month treatment target.

"We think waiting times are still too long. Our credo is to achieve and beat targets. We want to be ahead of the game."

Challenges remain, however, particularly for specialities like ENT (ear, nose and throat), dermatology and cardiology which need, said Mr Davies, additional investment on a permanent basis.

"In ENT, to reach the 12-month treatment target there are huge backlogs requiring permanent investment, though in some specialities we have got rid of backlogs and found we do not need extra investment to keep up," he said.

The Second Offer Scheme (SOS), giving patients who might otherwise breach a waiting-time target the option of treatment elsewhere, is also proving a challenge.

"We planned to hit the 18-month treatment target by the end of March through things like weekend work, but when it was brought down to 12 months, it meant 90 per cent of the 850 extra cases would have to go outside Gwent," said Mr Davies.

"A requirement of SOS was that anyone offered a place had to be fit for treatment, and different places have different criteria. We had 750 slots in Worcester and Hereford but not enough patients for them.

"We struggle then, because we have to take unfit patients back. We met three times last week alone, to see how we can get these people through (by March).