HUNDREDS of York patients who faced lengthy waits for orthopaedic operations have been treated by a private hospital.

Nuffield Hospital, in York, carried out 190 operations to slash NHS waiting times as part of a nationally-arranged Department of Health contract. The landmark contract was so successful Nuffield Hospitals has won a second agreement.

Throughout the country, patients underwent major and minor orthopaedic surgery, including hip and knee replacements.

The work, which began in May 2004, was carried out for North Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA).

Harold Chadwick, a 75- year-old patient who recently underwent a total knee replacement at the York Nuffield Hospital, said: "The consultant, theatre staff and all the nurses were brilliant and I couldn't have wished for better treatment. It is a fantastic hospital. The food was great as were the staff who brought it to me."

Nationally, 36 Nuffield hospitals worked with 20 strategic health authorities to complete 14,672 surgical procedures by the end of June.

Sally Brown, general manager of York Nuffield Hospital, said: "The completion of this contract represents a positive step towards realising Nuffield Hospitals' vision of a mixed healthcare economy, where high quality healthcare is made accessible to all.

"As a not-for-profit organisation, Nuffield Hospitals is committed to ensuring that patient care drives its healthcare decisions and that is why we are ideally suited to helping the NHS - both now and in the future - to achieving its healthcare delivery targets. This contract has been a great opportunity to develop a close working relationship with the NHS across England and in line with our vision, we look forward to further strengthening this relationship over the coming years"

A spokeswoman from North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority (NEYNL SHA), said: "The NEYNL SHA, together with local primary care trusts (PCTs), has been involved in redirecting a number of local patients to the Nuffield Hospital, York, for orthopaedic procedures.

"This is part of a national initiative by the Department of Health to ensure that patients receive treatment as soon as possible."

Updated: 10:28 Monday, July 25, 2005