PATIENTS are receiving private treatment after action was taken to combat waiting list delays at a mid Bucks hospital.

Several board members of Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust resigned after patients at Stoke Mandeville were found to have had to wait longer than the government recommended 18 months for treatment.

The trust has confirmed that 131 patients have had to wait for more than a year-and-a-half and say none of these patients is suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer or heart problems.

Of the 131 patients, 33 have come off the list because they have got sick of waiting, have already been treated or they have gone back to their GPs for further discussions, another 59 patients have been offered an operation in the next two months or an outpatient appointment with a consultant and 39 patients will be offered a date for an operation or out-patient appointment shortly.

Most will be treated at Stoke Mandeville Hospital but some will be treated in the private sector.

Acting chief executive, Rodney Hill, said: " We repeat our apology to these patients who have waited longer than 18 months for their treatment. Our action plan aims to make sure they are offered treatment as soon as possible.

"The process of making sure that we identify all the patients who have waited longer than 18 months has been painstaking and involved close examination of hundreds of medical notes.

"The staff deserve praise for the way they have worked so hard to get the job done."