Bid to cut waiting times

Tony Blair today promises new measures to cut NHS waiting times.

He vowed to increase the number of operations carried out by private hospitals so no NHS patient would have to wait more than 18 weeks.

Under the plans, contained in a "mini-manifesto" launched in London today, the state will pay for 250,000 private operations between now and 2008.

The promises come as Labour's health policy is under sustained pre-election criticism. In a further blow to the Government's record it emerged today that ministers had ignored a warning that emergency legislation was needed to tackle the MRSA superbug. In a Health Department memo leaked to the Daily Telegraph, Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, said there needed to be a deterrent to prevent hospitals "killing and harming" patients with MRSA and other infections.

The leaked document coincided with a Commons report revealing that more than 500 hospital patients are dying each week from preventable blood clots.