A HEALTH watchdog is concerned that patients in South Bucks could be exposed to longer waiting lists if the trust merged with crisis-hit Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Buckinghamshire Health Authority (BHA) this week issued a discussion document on the possible merger of South Bucks NHS Trust and Stoke Mandeville NHS Trust.

It says: "In mid and south Buckinghamshire we anticipate developing such clinical networks which are likely to lead to changes in the way that some services are delivered e.g. outpatients and day cases may be on one site while inpatients, day-cases and outpatients may be on another."

But Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, is in turmoil after it was confirmed that 37 patients waited more than 18 months for treatment and a further 67 cases are under investigation by the trust and BHA.

Chairman Gillian Miscampbell resigned last week after she felt her position had become "untenable". Three non-executive directors, Glyn Andrews, Ian Taylor and Alison Phillips, have since resigned and Sue Nicholls, chief executive of the trust, has been moved to a position with BHA.

Ailsa Harrison, spokesman for South Bucks Community Health Council, said: "We would want to watch and make sure the position of the patients in South Bucks doesn't get worse.

"The whole point about them working together is to drive up clinical standards."

Andrew Moss, Stoke Mandeville NHS Trust spokesman, said: "The purpose of our investigation is going to find out how this happened, why it happened and what we need to do to make sure it doesn't happen again."

A South Bucks NHS Trust spokesman said: "These are managerial issues which have nothing to do with the size of the organisation or geographical location."