THOUSANDS of Gwent patients are set to benefit from this unassuming new £7 million building which could dramatically cut orthopaedic waiting times.

Patients can look forward to shorter waiting times for surgery, without having to travel outside Gwent, when a new treatment centre opens in Newport in 2006.

A new orthopaedic centre at St Woolos Hospital will, uniquely for an NHS facility, have a working life of just six-ten years, when the Royal Gwent Hospital is also expected to reach the end of its lifespan.

But such is the amount of money Gwent's NHS bosses are spending on buying operations from other hospitals, particularly the private sector, to keep orthopaedic waiting times below 18 months, the centre will pay for itself within four years.

This computer-generated impression of the St Woolos project was revealed today at the launch of the Wales Orthopaedic Plan at Llandough Hospital.

The scheme will cost £7 million to build, with revenue costs of £5.6m. It will provide two orthopaedic theatres and up to 30 dedicated orthopaedic beds. More surgeons and support staff will be required to run it.

It will provide the capacity for around 1,500 more treatments and 3,000 more outpatient appointments a year

Glyn Griffiths, Gwent Healthcare Trust's general manager for surgery, said: "We've had a very long debate about whether it represents value for money, with Gwent's Local Health Boards and the Assembly."

"Most NHS building projects have a lifespan of 25-60 years, but there are plans coming together to completely reshape hospitals services in Gwent, which means we have never seen this as anything other than a stop-gap for six-ten years.

"But it will save £160,000 a month, which is what we pay other providers to help meet demand for orthopaedics in Gwent, so it will pay for itself very quickly."

Detailed planning is yet to be completed and a decision is required about whether to build the centre on the roof of St Woolos' Springfield Unit, or in the unit's car park.

"The aim is to continue major orthopaedic work, like hip and knee replacements and spinal surgery, at the Royal Gwent, and intermediate stuff at St Woolos," said Mr Griffiths.

"But there will be two theatres at St Woolos versatile enough to do any type of orthopaedic surgery."

Building work should begin in January, with a 12-month completion time, meaning the first patients will benefit early in 2006.