NHS chiefs have started selecting patients who will be offered surgery in Europe under a new scheme to ease waiting lists.

An estimated 160 people needing hip replacement and cataract operations will be offered the chance of treatment at hospitals in Germany and France.

Today GPs in West Sussex backed the move after being sent a circular outlining the arrangements.

West Sussex Health Authority has made it clear no patients will be forced to go abroad for treatment.

Dr James Walsh, chairman of the West Sussex Medical Committee which represents all GPs in the county, said: "Length of time on a waiting list and willingness to travel will be the main considerations.

"As GPs we are supportive of this move, although of course it is only a short-term way of getting treatment quickly."

Dr Walsh, whose surgery is at Rustington, is also a West Sussex county councillor.

He said: "Obviously it would make much more sense if we could cut our own patient waiting lists and do the work as effectively as they are doing in France and Germany."

Earlier this year it was disclosed that West Sussex was one of the health authorities asked by the Government to pilot the use of EU hospitals to cut waiting lists.

The move, coupled with the use of private hospital beds, is designed to make sure that no patient waits more than 15 months for hospital treatment by the end of March 2002.

Today a spokeswoman for the health authority said the patient selection process had started but it would still be several weeks before the first patients leave.

All their travel costs will be paid for by the NHS, which is negotiating nationally to send as many as 25,000 patients abroad during the next year.