GWENT patients may be offered operations at hospitals in Birmingham, Worcester and Taunton, as health bosses try to cut surgery waiting times.

Choices will be available in the coming months as part of a Wales-wide push to eliminate waits of more than a year for operations by the end of next March.

Extra work will also be carried out in Gwent's acute hospitals but there is not enough capacity in some specialties, so spare operating slots in English hospitals will be booked.

The Assembly's controversial Second Offer Scheme, giving patients the option of earlier surgery if they are prepared to travel, is a vital part of the waiting times reduction drive. Allan Davies, Gwent Healthcare Trust's head of performance, told the trust's annual public meeting that achieving the 12-month target was a massive challenge.

Earlier this year, dozens of ear, nose and throat patients from Gwent were offered the opportunity of quicker treatment in Bristol, through the same scheme, to help eliminate treatment waits.

In June, health minister Jane Hutt announced that the scheme would be used to bring maximum treatment waits down to 12 months. Millions of pounds of extra cash will be available but trusts must treat hundreds, possibly thousands more patients this year than originally planned.

Trust chief executive Martin Turner said 1,800 more patients in Gwent will need treatment by March 31.

"A lot of these will be outsourced, and we already use hospitals like BUPA Bristol and Cardiff, and St Joseph's (in Newport). But this is not a long-term solution," he said.

Extra capacity in Gwent will be vital in reducing the cost of sending patients elsewhere.