Accident and emergency times are among those that have been cut

They show that almost all patients are now receiving their test results within the nine-week deadline.

The number of patients on "hidden" waiting lists is down by 50% on last year and waiting times at accident and emergency units have also been cut.

The NHS is now due to meet its targets by the end of the year but standards for next year will be higher still.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has congratulated the local health boards on what she calls "very positive progress" ahead of the new targets being announced.

Political targets

At the end of September, only 124 patients had waited for more than the target nine weeks for the results of tests compared with 10,000 in July last year.

The number of patients on so-called hidden waiting lists - patients who have had their operations postponed for personal reasons - is down to 16,700 - 50% fewer than a year ago.

The figures also showed that 97% of patients attending accident and emergency departments were treated within four hours.

Conservative health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said she remained concerned that NHS priorities were based on political targets rather than the clinical need of patients.