PATIENTS awaiting hip or knee replacements operations are invited to volunteer for a £2million surgery blitz to slash waiting lists.

On July 4, a team of South African surgeons, doctors and nurses will arrive in Southport and over ten weeks they will perform 338 operations on patients on NHS waiting lists in the North West.

Many of the 50 places earmarked for patients -- 20 from Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley and 30 from Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale -- have been filled but several extra places could be available because other areas are struggling to fill their quotas because of the travelling involved and the unavailability of hospital beds for elderly patients who do not have carers to look after them afterwards.

Health chiefs are looking for people on the waiting list who are fit enough to cope with the travelling and have someone to look after them on return.

A spokeswoman for Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority said: "Anyone on the waiting list would like to be considered and has not yet been approached is welcome to contact us."

The Government is funding the project directly to keep waiting times down and to relieve the pressure on local hospitals where there are shortages in suitably qualified NHS staff. Patients from the Chorley area are also being selected to take part in the scheme.

The medical team recruited from South Africa is from private contractors Netcare, which performed 800 cataract operations to clear a backlog in Morecambe Bay last year.

The staff are all qualified to a similar level as NHS staff and the surgeons are all specialists in the field of hip or knee joint replacement surgery.

Project leader Sue Thompson said: "The standard of care will be at least equal to any patients would receive in their local hospital."

Anyone who would like to be considered, but has not yet been contacted, should ring Kim Witkiss on 01704 704384.