KNEE joint replacement surgery has now begun at Kidderminster Treat-ment Centre.

The surgery is being carried out by Inter Health UK at the Independent Sector Treatment Centre - ISTC - based at the Kidderminster site.

The three primary care trusts in Worcestershire, including Wyre Forest PCT, have a five-year contract with Inter Health UK.

Four knee joint replacements have been carried out since the first week in February and hip replacements are expected to begin soon.

It marks the return of overnight stays for the first time since the hospital's downgrading in 2001.

Inter Health UK expects to do 200 during this year, increasing to 300 next year and 400 and 500 the following years.

The company will also carry out 1,500 day surgery cases, in addition to what is done at the centre already, including orthopaedic cases, knee surgery, as well as hand and foot surgery. Last year, around 1,400 day surgery patients were treated.

Anne Males, manager of the ISTC at Kidderm-inster, said: "All our patients are NHS patients. Inter Health provide the surgeons and the health teams - everything else is provided by the NHS. We work very closely with the treatment centre staff and NHS staff.

"All that we are doing is additional to the NHS - it is not instead of work done on the NHS."