German nurses and doctors called up in waiting-list war

Doctors and nurses from Germany are likely to be drafted in to carry out treatment at one of the new wave of diagnostic and treatment centres announced by health secretary Alan Milburn last week.

The foreign team is expected to work alongside regular NHS staff at the centre based at Royal Hospital Haslar, part of zero-starred Portsmouth Hospitals trust.

The trust has confirmed that German doctors visited the hospital last week to conduct pre-operation assessments of patients on its orthopaedic waiting list.

Tim Thomas, projects director seconded from District AudIt is clinical support services, said 80 patients had already been examined who might become part of the scheme.

Patients will either be sent to Germany or a German theatre team could be flown over to carry out treatment at Haslar.

It is understood that the team of nurses and consultants will be supplied by private health company Germedica.

Mr Thomas told HSJ : 'I think the pilot, which is being funded under the auspices of the Overseas Patient Project, will be developed further.

'And we should see more of this kind of work in the future because ministers want to see more operations to cut the waiting lists down.'

Announcing the latest move to tackle capacity problems dogging the South, Mr Milburn said the four DTCs were part of a£15m investment to provide 20,000 extra treatments a year.

Two more centres will be set up at Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals trust and North Hampshire Hospitals trust.

The first primary care diagnostic and treatment centre will be based at Chase Hospital in Bordon, Hampshire, run by North Hampshire primary care trust, which becomes operational in April, and will concentrate on diagnostics.