The trust includes Withington Hospital

BBC News Online looks at what happened there.

Patients waiting for treatment at the South Manchester trust were simply taken of the list if they had waited too long, an investigation has found.

Over 250 patients who were "long waiters", waiting over 18 months, were excluded from figures.

We want to make sure this never happens again Dr Neil Goodwin, Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority

Monthly "adjustments" to figures were also made.

An independent external inquiry into events at the trust, which covers the Wythenshawe and Withington hospitals, found the practice of manipulating figures probably began as long ago as 1997.

In 2001, it was decided to move 400 patients from the active waiting list to the planned admissions list.

That comprises of people who are due to have scheduled treatment, and who are therefore not actually waiting for treatment.

They are not included in the reported numbers of people waiting.

Managers including the chief executive and head of IT admitted to being aware of the manipulations. None of those criticised are now at the trust.

'Flawed'

Jane Herbert, the former chief executive, told the BBC although she was aware of the waiting list adjustments for some months, she did not take action immediately because she felt it did not affect patient care.

She said: "That was a big mistake. I recognise I should have gone and told the board as soon as I was made aware of this."

Ms Herbert, who this week resigned from her post at Bedford Strategic Health Authority, said she felt the investigation has been so badly flawed that she had not had a "fair hearing."

The report found the chairman and non-executive directors were unaware of the problem.

'Unfair to patients'

A new team is now in place, and there are plans to invest in a new IT system.

Dr Neil Goodwin said the situation had been 'unacceptable'

The independent report, commissioned by the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority, also said urgent action was needed to ensure all staff, including waiting list clerks were fully trained in compiling statistics.

It added: "The trust now needs to take urgent action to restore confidence in its information and integrity, and to ensure that the culture and systems of the organisation do not permit a recurrence."

Jane Brophy, of South Manchester Community Health Council, told the BBC staff were under pressure to meet league table and waiting list targets.

"That does have an impact on patient care.

"Anyone whose been on hospital waiting lists will know the worry and anxiety that may cause."

Dr Neil Goodwin, chief executive of the strategic health authority, said: "It is totally unacceptable for anyone in the NHS to mislead the public about their performance.

"It is not fair to patients, to the public, and it is certainly not fair on the vast majority of hard-working staff in the NHS.

"I hope this report demonstrates that we want a completely open culture in the NHS and will not tolerate any attempts to mislead."

Dr Goodwin said the new management team had already put in place measures to ensure the same situation could not occur again.

He said he was confident the trust would win back their star rating.

He added: "We want to make sure this never happens again."