A new surgery centre, which it is hoped will slash operation waiting times, could be coming to Surbiton.

The centre, known as a Healthport, would be in The Crescent. And it would mean far fewer trips to Kingston for surgery because day patients will be able to have operations in mobile theatres which would visit it.

Healthports have the facilities needed for day surgery beds, toilets, reception facilites and consultants' offices. But instead of an operating theatre they have space for a mobile theatre.

Mobile theatres, which can also be stand-alone operating theatres, are slotted into the hospital and doors between the two linked like carriages of a train. They are driven around the country according to NHS demand.

Patients will be able to move from their bed to have surgery with no evidence the theatre may have been hundreds of miles away 24 hours earlier.

If the Healthport goes ahead it would be the first such facility in London, and the second in the country.

A planning application has been submitted by Vanguard Healthcare Services.

A Vanguard spokesman said: "A Healthport is a low-cost, fast-build day surgery centre in the community.

"It is like a highly modernised cottage hospital. If you are an elderly person, why should you have to travel 30 or 40 miles to have surgery?"

Mobile operating theatres have already been used to perform 36,000 procedures, including 10,000 cataract operations, helping reduce waiting lists.

The Healthport would be available as a treatment option for GPs, Kingston Hospital and Kingston Primary Care Trust.

Vanguard director of strategy Gary King said: "The part that takes the time and money building state-of-the-art operating theatres and designing the modular Healthports has already been done.

"Britain is the only country in the world that can move operating theatres from place to place in this way.

"It's hugely costeffective because the NHS does not have to pay for permanent additional theatres."

Last week NHS figures showed in the first quarter of this year 21,566 operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons.

It is hoped Healthports will free up beds in hospital for patients with critical care needs.

Mr King added: "Patients will turn up and have the operation at the time they were promised. The NHS gets value for money and waiting times drop."

drankin@london.newsquest.co.uk