SWINDON Council has vowed to keep track of failing NHS services in the town and help them improve.

Peter Mallinson, the new chairman of the council's health scrutiny committee, said the council would not be resting on its laurels after hearing about the sorry state of Swindon's health services.

He says as part of his new job he will call on each of the area's NHS trusts to explain the problems they are faced with.

He will then make regular checks to ensure problems are corrected.

Coun Mallinson said: "I picked up the paper yesterday to see about the ambulance trust.

"I will be asking for the ambulance trust's action plans to be delivered to the health scrutiny committee.

"On August 2, I want them to come along and explain their performance figures. Then we'll keep monitoring them to keep improving them even more."

As reported in yesterday's Adver, figures from medical watchdog the Healthcare Commission showed that three out of four of the NHS Trusts providing medical services in Swindon were failing to meet Government targets.

One paramedic even said ambulances were cleaned so infrequently they could be causing MRSA but staff did not have time to clean them.

The Swindon and Marlborough Hospital Trust which runs the Great Western Hospital, was the only trust to meet all of the Government targets in Swindon.

Coun Mallinson said his first port of call would be the hospital because of reports earlier this month that it was the worst performing hospital in the country when it came to waiting lists.

"I have called in the chief executive to give me an explanation of what was wrong and what the plans are for the future.

"I have asked for monthly meetings with them to go through the figures.

"Every hospital in the country is expected to have 100 per cent of patients seen within 18 weeks by December 2008. There is a long way to go from 22 per cent to 100 per cent."

Swindon's MPs Anne Snelgrove and Michael Wills were also concerned about waiting times but said their fears were laid to rest after a meeting with hospital bosses.

Coun Mallinson said following health scrutiny committee meetings with the hospital and the ambulance service, he would also be seeking to hear from Swindon Primary Care Trustand the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust.

"We are a serious committee with quite a lot of clout," he said. "We are aware now of all the problems. I'm going to ask every one of them to send me plans for what they are doing.

"I want to see the action plans and want to be able to call them back at any time."

The health scrutiny committee will meet GWH bosses on July 12 and ambulance bosses on August 2.