NHS trust offers private surgery

A backlog in operations due to a rise in admissions during recent bad weather has led an NHS trust to send patients to a private hospital for surgery.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said a small number of patients awaiting simple procedures were being given the option.

Those normally done as a day case or with one overnight stay were affected.

The Nuffield Hospital, in Woodingdean, near Brighton, confirmed it had been taking about seven NHS patients a week.

However, it would not comment on how much their treatment was costing.

In a statement, the NHS trust said: "This short-term arrangement ultimately means these patients will be treated quicker and their wait for surgery will not have been unduly delayed by the huge increase in emergency admissions this winter, or the need to cancel some planned procedures during the days of heavy snow earlier this month.

"The cost to the NHS is significantly lower than putting on additional weekend operating lists at the County Hospital and means we can see more patients with complex needs who need to be treated in an acute hospital."