WAITING times at West Middlesex Hospital have soared, according to new figures.
The number of patients waiting longer than recommended for treatment has nearly doubled in the last year, statistics highlighted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) show.
A total of 517 people had been waiting more than the government target time of 18 weeks in June, according to the latest NHS England figures - up by 82 per cent on the same month last year.
The overall waiting list had increased by 12 per cent from last year, to 12,155.
The rise in waiting times above 18 weeks was the biggest of any hospital in west London, according to the RCN.
Despite the increase, the hospital is still comfortably meeting government target for the percentage of patients treated within 18 weeks.
The RCN said hospital waiting lists had risen by 10 per cent across London in the last year. It blamed the increase on the recent A&E crisis, which it said had stretched resources.
RCN London operational manager Sue Tarr said: "The shocking rise in hospital waiting times will be deeply worrying for patients across London. There is a good and urgent case for increasing resources to help staff continue to provide the standards of service which patients have come to expect.
"Cuts to nursing posts in both hospital and community settings meant that trusts just weren't able to cope with the rising demand for A&E over Easter.
"The direct knock on result is more and more patients having to wait longer for non-urgent operations. We need to start looking at London's NHS as a whole system, rather than thinking cuts can be made in one area without an impact on patient care further down the line."
A hospital spokesman said it was meeting waiting time standards, with 97.4 per cent of patients treated in June having waited less than 18 weeks.
"Between June 2012 and June 2013 the total number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment has increased," he added.
"However, over the same period the total number of patients waiting for treatment has also increased significantly, by 1,326 (from 10,829 to 12,155). Despite this we are still surpassing the waiting times standards as a whole."
Feltham and Heston MP Seema Malhotra said: "I am extremely concerned about the rise in numbers waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment at West Middlesex.
"We have all experienced the delays in the healthcare of our families. The team at the hospital we know is dedicated to providing the best services for local people, but this is the impact of Government NHS cuts going too far and too fast.
"The Tories have broken all of their promises on the NHS and now local patients are paying the price. We need to demand answers from the Government who must now come clean on how their cuts are affecting local services."
