Foreign firms to run day-surgery centres

Companies from Germany, Greece, Portugal and other European countries are to be invited to run day-surgery centres in Britain for "walk-in operations".

Alan Milburn, the Secretary of State for Health, will announce today the opening of 12 more centres, at a cost of about £100m, where patients can have an operation without staying overnight.

The move marks a big expansion in fast-track surgery on the health service, but the role of private-sector firms will infuriate some Labour backbenchers and union leaders.

Mr Milburn will advertise for companies to bid to set up the new fast-track diagnosis and treatment centres in the EU's Official Journal today.

The centres are designed to help the Government to meet its target that no health service patient should be on a hospital waiting list for more than six months.