A PERFECT storm of issues over the winter means targets for treating patients within the area's hospital are being missed, medics claim.

Clinicians within the trust that runs Barrow's Furness General Hospital coped with the effects of Storm Desmond in December and a series of strikes by junior doctors from January - all while accident and emergency departments were also under unprecedented pressure.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Barrow hospital bed crisis deepens - as worst ever NHS figures are revealed

RELATED ARTICLE:  Command centre opens as Barrow winter crisis deepens

The unique cocktail of events resulted in hundreds of planned operations and appointments being postponed.

Now, leaders at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust say they are doing everything possible to help their hospitals attempt to catch up.

A report on the situation to members of UHMBT's board of directors states: "The trust has experienced a rise in the number of patients waiting more than 40 weeks for their first treatment. 

"This is due to the impact of the cancellations due to Storm Desmond, winter pressures on beds, the shortfall in capacity in orthodontics plus the impact of the junior doctors strikes. 

"In April 144 new patients, 281 follow ups and 25 elective cases were cancelled due to junior doctor strikes. 

"As above this will have an impact on our RTT performance."

Hospitals across the country report upon waiting times between a patient's referral to the point at which they begin treatment to overseeing body NHS England.

The national target for maximum RTT is 18 weeks.

For March, the latest available data, 90 per cent of patients waiting for treatment in the area's hospitals were seen within the target time with the longest lists in trauma and orthopaedic and oral surgery departments.

Foluke Ajayi, the trust's chief operating officer, said: "The junior doctors strike did cause a significant challenge in terms of delayed appointments and this continues to impact upon our RTT position.

"Operationally, we achieved our cancer treatment targets but pressures in our emergency departments remain very high.

"Attendances have come down but not to normal levels and we need time to recover."