A pensioner from Eastbourne was today travelling cross-Channel to have a hip operation in an effort to cut hospital waiting times in Sussex.
Retired voluntary worker Velma Paterson, 74, will spend two weeks in hospital at Hesdin, near Calais.
The operation is expected to take place tomorrow at the Clinique Chirurgi Cale d'Hesdin Hospital.
She is one of 15 patients needing hip or knee ops who are taking part in the pilot scheme organised by Eastbourne District General Hospital (DGH).
The waiting time for hip or knee operations at the DGH is between 12 and 15 months.
The move to refer patients overseas is part of a national drive to cut waiting times for non-emergency surgery.
Funding the operations, which is about £6,000 in France, compared to £4,000 in England, will come from the Government.
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