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A league table produced by the King's Fund think tank-based on a survey of public priorities- found Manchester Health Authority to be the UK's least successful in tackling heart disease and cancer.

The report shows people in Manchester die several years younger than the national average and wait months more to be treated.

Health chiefs have defended their performance in dealing with people in some of the most deprived areas of the UK.

The north Manchester training programme aims to allow nurses at North Manchester General Hospital to decide whether patients are fit to leave without having to wait for a consultant to do the rounds.

It is hoped the move will reduce bed blocking by patients ready to go home, help cut waiting lists and reduce the number of people kept on trolleys in accident and emergency units.

A spot check at casualty units by health watchdogs at the end of last month showed patients at north Manchester had the shortest wait of the four general hospitals in the city.

The snapshot survey was organised by the Association of Community health councils for England and Wales (ACHCEW) to see how long people wait for treatment after arriving at hospitals.

On the day of the spot checks, all carried out at 4.30pm, north Manchester had nine patients waiting on trolleys including a 37-year-old woman still waiting for gynaecology treatment having arrived at 11.17am.

At Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Charlestown the longest wait was only one hour 10 minutes for a three-month-old baby awaiting a transfer.

Meanwhile Manchester Royal Infirmary had 15 trolley waits including a woman admitted at 23.17 the day before which was one of the longest in the country.

At Wythenshawe Hospital there were 13 trolley waits including a 36-year-old man with abdominal pains who had been waiting since 9.46am.

Overall the numbers of patients waiting was lower than last year's figures in the city despite the loss of one A and E department in south Manchester.