PRIMARY NHS services in Bury are failing to meet national targets, A new annual report compiled by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rates Bury NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT) as weak in meeting national priorities.

The organisation fails to meet existing commitments for patients to spend four hours or less waiting in accident and emergency units, and under-achieves in meeting ambulance response time targets.

The CQC found that the trust failed to meet or under-achieved in more than half the areas regarded as national priorities by the Department of Health.

The PCT was failed on access to primary care, cancer mortality rates, breastfeeding rates and stop smoking initiatives.

And the CQC rated the trust as “under-achieving” on improving teenage conception rates and chlamydia screening, incidences of Clostridium difficile and the commissioning of mental health services.

Immunisations, meeting an 18 week referral to treatment target, ensuring a 12 week appointment for pregnant women and access to primary dental health services were also under achieving.

But the quality of the trust’s financial management and their commissioning has been rated as “fair”.

NHS Bury chairman Hilda Harvey acknowledged the poor performance.

“Notwithstanding the need to up our game on performance in some key areas, we can seek some solace in the fact that some of our weaker performing areas reflect prevailing trends that are not always easy for us to influence.”