SWINDON'S hospital was not one of the trusts singled out for fiddling waiting list figures in a recently released audit commission report.

Spot checks by Government inspectors revealed errors in the reporting of waiting lists at more than half of 41 NHS trusts last year, and in three trusts there was evidence that there had been deliberate manipulation of the figures. One trust was unable to provide the necessary information for the audit because of problems with its computers.

Errors were found at 53 per cent of the trusts checked, including Bristol.

But Chris Birdsall, spokesman for Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, which runs the Great Western Hospital, said: "I would like to reassure local people that Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust is not one of those singled out for waiting list inacurracy in the latest report.

"We were among the group of trusts included in the audit commission assessment and I am pleased to say we received positive verbal feedback indicating that our figures were robust and that they were happy with the way that we were addressing the issue.

"In fact our waiting lists have been steadily falling thanks to the efforts of our staff who have been working very hard, especially over the busy winter period."

The spot checks were carried out between June and November last year following a critical National Audit Office report in 2001 and a request by the Department of Health that the Audit Commission carry out further investigations.

Waiting lists figures for the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust show there were 1,339 outpatients waiting more than 13 weeks for operations last month. That is three per cent up on January. The trust has been told it should cut this to 500.

n Meanwhile, Swindon MP Julia Drown has warned she is ready to defy Tony Blair over his plans to set up 'super hospitals' with new financial powers.

The Labour MP for South Swindon fears that setting up so-called foundation hospitals will create a two-tier health service and undermine care in weaker NHS trusts.

Now she is preparing to vote against her own Government when the Health and Social Care Bill comes before MPs later this year, unless changes are made.

The Bill will set up the first wave of a dozen foundation hospitals with freedom to raise money to boost their budgets, set pay levels and recruit staff from elsewhere.

Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust will not be among the first because it failed to achieve a three star rating in hospital league tables published last year.