The latest fall leaves the government within 31,000 of its target of reducing waiting lists by 100,000 from the level inherited at the general election in May 1997 during this parliament.

Waiting lists have now fallen for three months in a row following two consecutive rises earlier in the year.

Frank Dobson has pledged to cut outpatient times

Outgoing Health Secretary Frank Dobson said: "I am glad to see that the downward trend has continued with another fall this month.

"The NHS is now delivering the biggest sustained fall in NHS waiting lists in its history. The figures show the 13th fall in the waiting list in 16 months."

Mr Dobson promised that the government was now determined to cut outpatient waiting times as well.

Critics have accused the government of massaging the figures by allowing health authorities to increase the amount of time that patients have to wait for an initial outpatient appointment.

Patients only join the official NHS waiting list once they have been seen as an outpatient.

Figures for April to July show that the number of people waiting more than 13 weeks for an outpatient appointment rose by 29,000.

Doctors have also claimed that the government's determination to bring down waiting lists has forced clinicians to skew their priorities so that patients are not prioritised purely on the basis of clinical need.

The latest government figures also show:

• The number of people waiting over 12 months for hospital treatment fell in August by 500 to 48,900

• This is 25% lower than a year ago and 23,200 (32%) below the peak at June 1998

• Thirty-four patients were reported as having been waiting for more than 18 months at the end of August

• Thirty-two of these were at Redbridge Health Care Trust which is carrying out an investigation following allegations that patients were removed from the official waiting list