Health staff in Oxfordshire today welcomed a £320m Government cash boost for the NHS to tackle waiting lists across England.

The money was announced by Health Secretary Frank Dobson as he revealed waiting lists in England have fallen by a further 20,000 in August.

The Oxford Mail revealed last week waiting lists in Oxfordshire were finally beginning to fall after spiralling out of control earlier this year.

Figures for August showed the total waiting list figure for Oxfordshire was 13,583 compared with 13, 661 in June.

It is not yet known how much of the £320m individual NHS regions will receive.

An Oxfordshire Health Authority spokesman said: "We welcome the money. It gives us the opportunity to continue the initiatives already started and build on the progress already made." Claire Laurent, executive officer at Oxfordshire Community Health Council, also welcomed the news, but added: "Health is more than about acute and emergency care. People who have operations need care and support afterwards and resources are needed in this area as well."

The health authority and health trusts across the county have been working together to cut waiting lists in the county after they soared by 2,000 in March this year.

The extra money was just one of a number of sweeping new improvements announced by Mr Dobson on Wednesday.

He also announced the launch of a national inquiry into the number and use of NHS beds across the country after the loss of 100,000 beds in the last decade.

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