Health minister David Lammy

Ministers have been accused of using massaged health statistics in order to meet targets on accident and emergency waiting times.

A report from the British Medical Association found that the government target to cut waiting times improved the performance of hospitals was met - but only during the week in which they were monitored.

Answering questions in the Commons, health minister David Lammy denied claims that the figures had been manipulated by hospital administrators in order to temporarily meet the target.

Lammy said NHS trusts were making "tremendous progress" towards meeting the target of no patient waiting for more than four hours for accident and emergency treatment by the end of 2004.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Evan Harris asked whether Lammy was "embarrassed about the number of trusts who are forced to cheat to meet this target?"

He said the BMA report showed that: "A majority of respondents in accident and emergency felt the measures taken had distorted clinical priorities and many said that waiting times for patients with the most serious conditions had increased.

"And there were also concerns that patients were being rushed through A and E, inappropriately admitted or transferred to the wrong department.

"Doesn't this make this whole target a sham, undermine confidence in statistics, undermine the government's credibility, involve the distortion of clinical priorities and the distortion of resource allocation?"

Lammy said the BMA only surveyed 30 per cent of its members and "only the Liberal Democrats could think that was a majority".

The "milestone" target had "focused and concentrated minds", he said, adding that the accusations of manipulation were "disgraceful".

Conservative spokesman Liam Fox said that ministers were putting targets before patients needs.

"No one is fooled any longer by the government's doctored figures in the NHS," he said.

"In their pathological obsession to meet targets there is no truth they will not twist.

"Neither patients nor medical staff are free from the political interference that is now strangling the health service."

Lammy replied that the situation would only be worse under a system deprived of extra funds under a future Tory administration.