NHS patients are being treated privately as part of a new system designed to tackle long waiting lists.

Hundreds of people have already benefited from the scheme which diverts patients to other service providers, including the private sector.

The Sussex Elective Co-ordination Centre was launched in April. Cutting diagnostic and planned care waiting lists is a key priority for the NHS.

The system identifies patients who have been referred into acute care but who have not yet been seen as an outpatient or started treatment and assigns them to an alternative provider which has space

In April and May more than 400 patients a week were diverted from University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust services to either private or neighbouring NHS service providers.

In the same period last year, only 150 patients were reallocated between providers.

More than 400 patients a week have been diverted (Image: PA)

Huw Edwards, managing director for planned care and cancer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know that too many patients are waiting too long and so we needed new thinking to address that fundamental challenge.

“Working with others and working outside traditional trust parameters is allowing us to use our collective resources for the benefits of patients.

“Initially this approach is providing additional choice and capacity mainly for patients at our trust but the principle of using resources drawn from across Sussex to manage waiting times across the whole county is a really positive step and one we hope to embed and extend as we are able to do so.”

This comes after the NHS bid to cut the backlog for people who have been waiting for ten months or longer for treatment.

Daniel de Rozarieux, director of elective care for the acute provider collaborative in Sussex, said: “Sussex health and care partners have a clear commitment to address elective waiting times and reduce the time people are waiting for treatment.

“Within the first two months we have demonstrated how this approach can realise true benefits for our providers and ultimately for our patients – we are excited by the strong foundations for elective recover, which this is creating across all providers within the system."