A RADICAL new £19m treatment centre is to open in the county in a bid to slash waiting times for patients across Worcestershire awaiting minor operations.

The new centre, one of four being launched across the country, will open in two phases - the first of which will be the completely renovated E-block at Kidderminster Hospital that will open its doors to patients at the end of this month.

The centre will work independently of the county's main hospitals.

This means it will not feel the knock-on effect caused by unexpected influxes at A&E departments, which can often force scheduled minor operations to be cancelled.

The idea behind the new centre is similar to the two new "mobile centres" run by the South African company Netcare, which were announced by the Government on Monday.

It is hoped the new Kidderminster centre will dramatically cut waiting lists for those awaiting minor surgery, such as cataract and hip operations, and will see patients being diagnosed and treated quicker.

It is also hoped it will reduce the massive £7m deficit Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is expected to announce in April.