PATIENTS from the Bournemouth area could be going to Somerset for treatment in a bid to meet waiting time targets.

The arrangement could affect patients awaiting orthopaedic operations, general surgery, endoscopy or eye treatment.

The independent treatment centre at Shepton Mallet aims to offer most patients treatment within 10 weeks of receiving GP referral.

Bournemouth Teaching Primary Care Trust heard that the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had been unable to deliver waiting time targets in April, May, and June.

At the end of June, there were four breaches of the six month waiting time target, all within orthopaedics. The patients were offered the choice of going elsewhere, but decided not to transfer.

A contract for extra orthopaedic and ophthalmology activity is in place with the Nuffield Hospital and the PCT is exploring the possibility of using a mobile facility for cataract surgery in East Dorset.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Foundation Trust said: "Every month, the orthopaedics department treats 500 patients from Dorset within the six month target. This is well within the nine month national waiting target.

"Unfortunately we were unable to treat four patients in the Nuffield Hospital who had been transferred for treatment within the six-month target. They have all since been treated, and by the end of August, we aim to have no-one waiting more than six months.

"In ophthalmology, we have the capacity and are willing to treat all patients needing treatment within the three month target. The trust understands that if the PCT has another option that is free to them, as costs are met directly by the Department of Health, they would want to consider using it.

"That decision is totally up to them but as this option is only available this year, we have asked them to consider the impact on the longer term infrastructure at the hospital. We had planned to recruit an additional consultant ophthalmologist, but we may have to reconsider."

First published: August 9, 2005