Heart patients in Bradford could be sent to hospitals across Europe for vital treatment from next month.

A total of 32 people in the Bradford area, who have been waiting for heart operations for six months, will have the right to choose where they are treated from a list of countries selected by the Government.

But health bosses expect that most of the 221 West Yorkshire patients who will be eligible for the scheme will elect to be cared for close to home, probably in private hospitals, rather than choose to travel abroad.

The Yorkshire Heart Centre in Leeds has a waiting list of 450 patients, of whom 93 are from Bradford.

Richard Longbottom, senior planning manager for Bradford's Primary Care Trusts, said the scheme to offer patients operations abroad is intended to ensure heart patients receive treatment within the target time of nine months.

Bradford Primary Care Trusts are working closely with private hospitals to make sure that nobody goes abroad for treatment unless they want to, he added. So far the Department of Health is restricting the choice to European countries and will be publishing a list of accredited hospitals for the Heart Surgery Scheme next month.

In West Yorkshire there are about 1,400 open-heart surgery cases each year. But last year 240 of these were carried out in private hospitals to reduce waiting lists.

Private hospitals used include the Yorkshire Clinic in Cottingley and the BUPA hospital in Leeds. From October, patents will also be sent to the new Nuffield hospital in Leeds.

Mr Longbottom added: "The waiting lists are coming down which is good news. Some people will not be suitable to be offered a choice, perhaps because the operation will be too complicated.

"We are not expecting many people to want to go abroad. Flying is not the best thing to do when you feel ill.

"Our priority is to ensure that everybody gets the choice to have surgery done more locally."