The chief executive of the NHS has welcomed figures showing waiting times in England's hospitals have been cut by a third in six years.

Sir Nigel Crisp has published his annual report highlighting cuts in waits, increased patient choice and falling death rates from serious diseases.

There had been a 35 per cent reduction in waiting lists since the peak in 1998, he said.

Waiting times have also fallen, he said, while delayed discharges from hospitals are down by more than a third this year.

Separate data showed the number of patients waiting over nine months at the end of October 2004 was 57, a drop of some 39,000 from the same month last year.

Sir Nigel also said the NHS is "responding to public concerns" with new plans to tackle the MRSA "superbug" and continuing shortages of NHS dentists.

"In the summer, I said that if the NHS was a business, our share price would be rising," he said.

"At the end of 2004 I have not changed my mind because we are hitting our key targets and our surveys show that patient satisfaction levels are very high.

"Extra investment and the reforms we have implemented are paying real dividends. We are making fantastic progress at reducing waiting times for treatment, both in primary and secondary care.

"We are also putting a greater focus on health promotion and health improvement and beginning to act as a service for health, rather than simply a sickness service."

Bureaucracy

The report also highlighted attempts to reduce health service bureaucracy.

"We now have a four year track record of success," said the NHS boss.

"This has been delivered through the sheer hard work, skills and commitment of thousands of staff."

In other developments, the report said that 61 walk-in-centres are now open, while 96.4 per cent of people were spending less than four hours in accident and emergency wards.

There was an increase of 5,640 doctors and 18,800 nursing staff in the 12 months to September 2003, and almost 1,500 more beds available in the 12 months to March 2004.

Health secretary John Reid said there had been a "huge improvement" in NHS services.

"Despite these magnificent achievements, in no way are we complacent about what we still need to do. In 2005 I want the NHS to sustain this performance and also to begin targeting other areas where people are waiting for treatment, for example during the diagnostic stage of the patient journey through the NHS," he added.