Patients will travel 150 miles to Wolverhampton for their operation

A new heart and lung centre in Wolverhampton is to treat around 50 patients from Swansea from next month.

A smaller group of 15 patients is also to undergo cardiac surgery in Bristol.

Health Commission Wales said patients were being offered treatment at English hospitals so they do not have to wait longer than the maximum waiting times.

The current target set down by the Welsh Assembly Government for patients to receive cardiac surgery is eight months.

Andrew Bellamy, director of service strategy and modernisation at Swansea NHS Trust, said the trust was delivering on its contract for cardiac surgery patients, but did not have the capacity to meet the assembly targets.

It makes sense to offer free capacity at Wolverhampton and Bristol to patients who want to avail of it Health Commission Wales spokesperson

That is why the Health Commission Wales, an executive agency of the assembly government, had negotiated the contract with the English hospitals.

He did not have figures available for the numbers of patients being treated in the Swansea NHS trust area but said there was an "increasing workload" for cardiac surgery.

"This is not happening because of any failure on our part to deliver," said Mr Bellamy.

"We have got an agreed level of activity and we are delivering on that."

The Wolverhampton Heart and Lung centre fought off competition from two other trusts to win the contract.

The centre opened last October but has since become underused because techniques have changed.

Transport and accommodation

David Loughton, chief executive of the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, said :"This agreement is excellent news for the people of Wolverhampton and for the people of Wales."

A Health Commission Wales spokesperson said arranging specialist contracts for patients outside of Wales was a tried and tested way of working which has proved successful.

"Heart patients from the Swansea area are being offered treatment at hospitals in Wolverhampton and Bristol so that they do not have to wait longer than the maximum waiting times which apply across Wales.

"Transport is arranged for the patient as well as accommodation for relatives when required," added the spokesperson.

The position in Swansea was under review "but in the meantime it makes sense to offer free capacity at Wolverhampton and Bristol to patients who want to avail of it."