PATIENTS prepared to travel to Germany to have major surgery have been given the green light to approach health bosses in the region for funding.

Sunderland Health Authority, which has some of the longest lists for orthopaedic surgery in the region, said it had no objection to patients raising the issue of foreign treatment.

While there was no guarantee the authority would back them, such a proposal would be given "serious consideration", said health authority spokesman Bill Hackett.

The issue has arisen because a German hospital consortium is trying to tempt UK health authorities to send patients on lengthy waiting lists to them, as a way of getting around bed shortages and speed up treatment.

The consortium, GerMedic, claims it can undercut private hospitals in the UK, which are being increasingly pressed into use by the Department of Health.

It is understood that GerMedic is offering health authorities a package costing about £6,500, which would cover travel and accommodation costs for the patient and a companion. The Germans claim this compares very favourably with the UK private sector cost of between £8,000 and £9,000.

With spare capacity in Germany's health system and a chronic shortage of beds in the UK, at least five health authorities are already in discussion with the group.

So far, the only health authorities to hold discussions with GerMedic in the Northern region have been East Yorkshire and East Lancashire.

But the company has mounted a strong marketing campaign to get other health authorities in the North-East and North Yorkshire interested.

Mr Hackett said: "We are aware of approaches being made. They have bombarded us with details. The facility has always been available in the NHS based on clinical need. You could imagine the difficulties of someone going abroad for treatment, although it is something the NHS does not rule out."

A National Audit Office report published last week showed that, on March 31 this year, thousands of patients were waiting for orthopaedic operations in the region.

A breakdown showed that 1,000 were waiting in Sunderland, 800 in North Yorkshire, 700 in Newcastle and North Tyneside, and 600 in County Durham and Darlington.

Officials at both County Durham and Darlington Health Authority and Newcastle and North Tyneside Health Authority said they had no plans to send patients to Germany.

A spokeswoman at the Durham office of the Northern and Yorkshire NHS Executive said: "The NHS is working to ensure that patients receive a high quality, clinically-appropriate service in this country, when and where they need it, making use of all appropriate facilities.

"The Government's policy is to ensure maximum use of health resources in this country. We are supporting this with the biggest ever funding increase in the history of the NHS.