PATIENTS from Wales are to undergo procedures at Kidderminster Hospital's new Treatment Centre in a bid to cut down on waiting lists.
The £19 million centre will take on patients to raise much needed cash for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages hospitals in the county.
Trust spokesman, Richard Haynes, said the arrivals would not hit patient care.
He explained: "This is extra activity. It will have no impact on the availability of treatment for Wyre Forest or Worcestershire patients.
"It is an exciting development because it shows that the capacity at the Treatment Centre can be put to good use."
The patients - expected in the coming weeks - will undergo general surgery and ear, nose and throat procedures.
The move comes from the Welsh Assembly, which is looking to clear a backlog of patients throughout the principality.
Wyre Forest MP, Dr Richard Taylor, welcomed the news.
He said: "If there is genuine spare capacity here then it only makes sense to use services to help other parts of the country."
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