A £300m programme designed to cut the maximum waiting time for heart surgery from 18 months to 12 months by next March has been launched.

Announced today by Health Secretary Alan Milburn, the scheme aims to provide more NHS heart operations in both NHS and private hospitals. It also aims to speed up diagnosis and improve treatment and rehabilitation services for patients with coronary heart disease, the Department of Health said.

It includes a £170m rebuilding of eight cardiac centres around the country and the provision of up to 1,800 more heart operations at a cost of £15m between now and next March.

There will also be 29 new and eight replacement angiography and catheterisation laboratories to speed up diagnosis, at a cost of £80m, and capital for improved rehabilitation, heart failure and primary care services, at a cost of £35m.

Existing angiography laboratories at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and Sunderland Royal Infirmary are to be expanded and upgraded.

For the first time angiography equipment is being purchased at Darlington Memorial Hospital, University Hospital of North Durham, North Tyneside General Hospital and York District Hospital.