The NHS will confirm today that it has hit a key target of halving the maximum waiting time for operations.

The waiting list figures will be released alongside an upbeat annual report from Sir Nigel Crisp, the NHS chief executive.

The figures are expected to show that fewer than 100 patients in England are waiting longer than nine months.

By the end of the decade ministers expect that 15 per cent of all NHS operations will be contracted out to private providers of healthcare.

Facing new competition from overseas suppliers, private healthcare companies are increasingly cutting prices for NHS work.