PATIENTS who hoped their heart operations would be carried out sooner under a Government plan to slash waiting times still face an anxious wait, it was revealed yesterday.

The Government has made the drive to reduce heart surgery waiting times one of the major parts of its policy to make the NHS more efficient.

Under the scheme, launched by Health Secretary Alan Milburn yesterday, patients who have waited more than six months can opt to have surgery at a private hospital, but paid for by the NHS.

By using private clinics, and even hospitals abroad, ministers hope they can dramatically cut waiting times for by-pass operations.

But patients hoping for a speedy resolution to their waiting list anguish still face delays of at least six weeks. In the North-East, the earliest patients can expect to be operated on under the scheme is mid-August.

This time-lag led to some groups accusing the Government of raising the hopes of patients without being able to deliver operations immediately.

Heart patient Peter Szymik, 51, from Norton, Stockton, met Mr Milburn at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, yesterday and told him: "Let's get on with it. I'm just grateful I am being given this opportunity."

The retired landscape gardener, who has already waited eight months for a double heart bypass operation, was one of 123 patients at the hospital's heart unit to be asked whether they would be prepared to travel for treatment.

Doctors there say they have been surprised at how many are willing to go. About 60 out of 100 who have replied said they were prepared to travel

But Dr Jim Hall, head of cardiothoracic services at the James Cook Hospital said it could take six weeks for the first operation to take place under the new scheme.

July 1 had been chosen as the date used to calculate which patients qualified for the scheme and negotiations with the private sector and foreign hospitals had proved to be time-consuming.

"Nationally we are negotiating on behalf of 3,000 patients and we are talking about arranging surgery between now and the end of the financial year," said Dr Hall.

He predicted that it may not be necessary to send British patients abroad. "It is possible we might be able to find all the extra capacity we need in the UK private sector."

Mike Stone,of the Patients' Association, said the Government was being "a bit naughty" in not disclosing the delay.

Peter Johnson, chief officer of South Tees Community Health Council, said: "It would have been better to wait to announce the first patient who was going off to have surgery rather than raising people's hopes and then telling them they have to wait."