HEALTH chiefs have raised concerns after hospitals missed a key target for patient treatment.

Hospitals must try to transfer or discharge patients as quickly as possible after they have been treated in A&E and taking longer than 12 hours to do so is classed as a breach of the rules.

Within Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, which runs Fairfield, North Manchester and Royal Oldham Hospitals and Rochdale Infirmary, there were five breaches in December.

A new report written by Bury NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) analyses the latest figures.

It says: "Since January, the CCG has been notified of 17 breaches specific to patients registered with a Bury GP and 68 across (Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and North Manchester).

"The current level of underperforming against this indicator is (recorded) as a high-level risk."

The report also said that, in November and December, the trust failed to treat 95 per cent of patients arriving at A&E within four hours.

It was 80.2 per cent in November and 79.3 per cent in December, rising to 86.6 per cent in February.

The report adds overall attendance at A&E has remained within expected levels but "performance levels are significantly lower across all sites with the exception of Rochdale Infirmary".

A trust spokesman said: "Many trusts across the country are finding this a challenge at present, due to the large number of attendances and admissions.

"We recently introduced a new arrangement to speed up admission for those who need it.

"We have also been working closely with primary care, community care and social services to improve patient flow in and out of our hospitals and to speed up treatment and discharge for our patients.

"The public can help us by only coming to A&E in a genuine emergency and seeking help from a community pharmacist, GP or NHS 111 instead if they have a minor ailment."

On Friday, the trust appointed Jim Potter and Sir David Dalton as interim chairman and chief executive.

The pair help to run Salford Royal Hospital, rated by the Care Quality Commission as 'outstanding' and it is hoped that their assistance will boost the trust.