The clinic is based in Brentford, west London

The Casualty Plus centre in Brentford, west London, will offer rapid treatment to people with minor injuries and illnesses.

It claims that for an initial consultation fee of �29, patients will be seen "in minutes not hours".

The company running the �5m unit eventually wants to set up similar centres across the UK.

'Walking wounded'

Casualty Plus chief executive Syed Jaffery said there were additional charges for further treatment such as x-rays and fitting a cast on broken limbs.

"For the vast majority of people we expect to see, the average price will be somewhere between �50 to �100," he said.

"Clearly somebody who is in a critical condition or has a life-threatening injury of some nature will dial 999, call an ambulance and be taken to an National Health A&E department.

For the vast majority of people we expect to see, the average price will be somewhere between �50 to �100 Syed Jaffery Casualty Plus Inside the centre

"And that is exactly the right place for them.

"What we are talking about are the walking wounded, people who make their own way to casualty departments and have minor injuries."

Mr Jaffery said the casualty unit was targeting people with minor injuries who have to wait for treatment at NHS hospitals.

"People who are seriously injured and do have life-threatening conditions, they will get a fantastic service from the NHS and they will not have to wait and they will be seen virtually straight away.

"But that is at the expense of people with minor injuries."

Recruitment

He said the NHS would not suffer from the private sector recruiting their staff.

"The NHS is a massive organisation with over a million employees and the private sector in comparison in quite tiny in this country.

"The amount of staff we could possibly take from the NHS is a drop in the ocean.

"It really has no overall impact on the NHS," Mr Jaffery added.

He also said the private company was "very careful" not to recruit from local hospitals.

"We actually want to work with our local hospital and be seen as part of the local health care scene."

Clinical director Johan du Plessis said as many as 12 Casualty Plus units could be opened in Greater London, with more planned in major cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

The Department of Health spokesman said: "Patients know how to access NHS services and will continue to do so in the knowledge that it is both safe and free and they will be seen quickly.

"All private health care services, including minor injuries/illness services such as this, are a well established part of the healthcare scene."

He added: "We are now providing more Walk in Centres, instant access to NHS Direct and more efficient ways of working in A&E that are reducing overall A&E waiting times, not just those for minor injuries."