Two French surgeons have been brought in to increase capacity and reduce waiting lists at Yeovil District Hospital.

Phillipe Espalieu and Eric Berger, both from St Etienne, will perform a total of 80 operations as part of a special contract running from September 13th to January next year.

They will be included in a team headed by consultant general surgeon Robin Kennedy, which concentrates mainly on keyhole surgery to remove gall bladders.

The programme worked out will see the two French surgeons operate regularly on Fridays and Saturdays and also carry out pre and post-operative checks over weekends.

Both will undergo a period of supervision and induction to familiarise them with the hospital's policies and procedures.

East Somerset NHS Trust chief executive James Scott said: "We are delighted

to welcome extra top quality surgical staff to help us achieve our target of

ensuring that no patient has to wait longer than six months for any

operation by the end of March next year.

"Both these surgeons have excellent CVs and track records and have passed a

rigorous English test administered independently by The University of

Liverpool.

"If this initiative is successful, and we have every reason to suppose it

will be, we will be looking to enter similar contracts in future."