Waiting time for hospital treatment are falling on virtually every
indicator according to the latest in-patient and out-patient figures
released today. The biggest falls have been where patients have been
waiting longest for treatment.

The number of patients waiting more than 12 months for in-patient
treatment has fallen by 1,600 compared to last month and 20,500
compared to last year. There are now only 10,900 patients waiting
over 12 months for admission to hospital putting the NHS on course to
hit the NHS Plan target of no patient waiting more than 12 months by
the end of march this year.

The number of patients waiting over 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12
months, 15 months and 18 months for in-patient treatment are all
lower than the inherited March 1997 figures.

The latest falls in in-patient waiting times are also accompanied by
large falls in waiting times for outpatient appointments. In the last
quarter year from September to December 2002:
- the number of patients waiting over 26 weeks for an outpatient
  appointment has fallen to a record low of 676
- the number of patients waiting over 21 weeks for an outpatient
  appointment has fallen by 12,400 since September 2002
- the total number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for a first
  outpatient appointment has fallen by 138,200 since December 2001
  and by over 34,000 in the last quarter

Health Minister John Hutton said:
"Waiting times are falling in the NHS. The resources and reforms that
are going into the NHS mean that on virtually every indicator waiting
times for treatment are going down. While this progress is welcome
there is a long way to go. But we are on course to deliver the
targets we set out in the NHS Plan."

The main points of December's in-patient waiting figures are:
- There were 10,900 patients waiting over 12 months for treatment in
  England - a drop of 65% since December 2001. This represents
  significant progress towards the NHS plan target.
- There were 5 English residents waiting over 15 months for
  treatment. This figure is continuing to fall and the breaches are
  concentrated at two Trusts, both of which have action plans in
  place to address this.
- There are 1,600 fewer patients waiting 9 months or more for a heart
  operation (revascularisations) than at the same time last year.
- The total number of patients waiting for treatment in England is
  1.057m, a seasonal rise in line with similar increases in previous
  Decembers.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Media enquiries only to Alicia O'Donnell Smith, Lee Bailey or
Nicola Plumb at the Department of Health Press Office on 0207 210
5333 / 5724 / 5301.

2. Tables demonstrating continuing trends are attached.

3. Further details of in-patient and outpatient waiting lists and
times are included in a statistical press release issued today.

4. The NHS Plan set out clear targets on waiting:
- No-one should wait for more than three months for an outpatient
  appointment by 2005.
- No-one should wait for more than six months for an operation by
  2005, falling to three months thereafter.
- No-one should wait more than four hours in accident and emergency
  from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge by 2004.
- By 2004 patients will be able to see a primary care professional
  within 24 hours and a GP within 48 hours.

5. In guidance published to the NHS on meeting the maximum 15 month
in-patient waiting time, the NHS Modernisation Agency reiterated the
Government's position that clinically urgent patients should be
treated as a matter of priority before less clinically urgent waiting
list patients.

6. As part of the Heart Choice scheme, patients who have been waiting
for six months for a heart operation at their local hospital have -
since July 2002 - been offered the choice of faster treatment at
another hospital, in either the NHS or the private sector.

7. The period of the third quarter for 2002/03 covers the beginning
of October to the beginning of December 2002. Quarter 2 refers to the
period between the beginning of July to the end of September 2002.

8. The in-patient waiting data was collected on a quarterly basis up
to and including March 1998. From April 1998 data has been collected
on a monthly basis.

NOTE: TABLES ON HARD COPY ONLY