HEART patient Edna Irwin, who claimed she had to wait two years for surgery, is recovering at home after a successful quadruple bypass operation.

Mrs Irwin, 69, from Darlington, had surgery on the NHS at the private BUPA Hospital, at Washington, three weeks ago.

The operation took place after County Durham and Darlington Health Authority agreed to pay for NHS patients to have surgery at the hospital.

Increasing numbers of NHS patients are being treated in private hospitals in the region, as part of the Government's push to reduce waiting times.

The result is that many heart patients who would normally be treated at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, or the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, have agreed to have heart bypasses at the BUPA hospital instead.

Patients invited to transfer to Washington are those who are expected to come through surgery without complications.

Yesterday, Mrs Irwin said she was delighted at the treatment she received at the Washington hospital. She said: "They were all absolutely marvellous."

Mrs Irwin said that while fewer patients were facing long waits for heart surgery, the patient in the bed next to hers had waiting a long time for his operation.

She said: "He told me he had been waiting two years and two months."

Yesterday, the Department of Health published new performance figures which show that more heart patients are getting the operations they need.

They also show that fewer NHS patients are dying following hospital surgery and more patients are surviving cancer.

According to official figures, the number of heart operations taking place in England has increased by 10.5 per cent.

Hip and knee replacement operations have increased by 6.4 per cent and cataract operations have gone up by 12.3 per cent.

A full regional breakdown is expected to be published in a fortnight.