Waiting times for hospital treatment has been cut, the report found

The Welsh Assembly Government's second offer scheme was introduced in April 2004 to cut waiting times in Wales.

The report by the Healthcare Commission published on Monday said long waits were down and trusts said the NHS had "turned the corner" on waiting times.

Plaid Cymru said it was still concerned that waiting times were "atrocious".

The independent Healthcare Commission's annual report to MPs covers the state of healthcare in Wales and England, and has focused for the first time on the experience of patients.

Today's report confirms that we have turned the corner on waiting times in Wales. Patients are already seeing real improvements. Welsh NHS Confederation director Mike Ponton

In Wales, it noted that almost 11,500 patients have taken up the second offer scheme, which promises earlier treatment at an alternative hospital.

The scheme, introduced in April 2004, was aimed at people waiting more than 18 months.

In March 2005, it was announced that the scheme was being extended to patients who had been waiting more than 12 months.

The commission's study found a 99.6% drop in the number of people waiting in Wales longer than 18 months for an outpatient appointment, from 6,270 in December 2004 to 28 in March 2005.

The number of patients waiting longer than a year for admission as an inpatient had also dropped from 6,293 in December 2004 to 840 in March 2005 - a fall of 86.7%.

The March figure includes 737 people who turned down an offer of earlier treatment under the second offer scheme.

But the commission said there were wide variations in service and treatment depending on which hospitals patients went to and where they lived.

OTHER COMMISSION FINDINGS Long waiting times for sexual health services, with 28% of urgent cases facing 48 hours wait Nearly 60% of NHS dental practices are not taking on new patients, an increase from 40% in 2001 Many maternity services do not meet the needs of women - problems include overcrowding and poor standards of cleanliness Healthcare Commission annual report into NHS in England and Wales

The report stated: "The picture in Wales is harder to judge because the information is more limited. However, it is clear that access to care in Wales is improving."

The Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents all the hospital trusts and local health boards in Wales, said there was "still a lot to do".

But confederation director Mike Ponton said: "Today's report confirms that we have turned the corner on waiting times in Wales. Patients are already seeing real improvements".

'Little progress'

Plaid Cymru's health spokesman, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, said the commission's report vindicated his party's claims that patients were unhappy with long waiting lists.

He said it showed "little progress" had been made.

Mr Thomas added: "The report also found that waiting times in Wales were generally longer than in England and that this gap was widening."

He said there were a number of failings in Labour's waiting time initiatives and "a number of risks associated with the second offer scheme".

An assembly government spokesperson said the second offer scheme was "playing a key role in reducing waiting times in Wales".

"The latest figures show that around three quarters of the patients waiting for inpatient or daycase treatment had been waiting for less than six months and 71.5% of those waiting for an outpatient appointment have been waiting for less than six months.

"This is good news for people in Wales and shows the progress that has been made in reducing long waiting times over the past year.