A DAY surgery group is planning to open its second clinic and has chosen Salisbury.

Eyebright has a centre in Yorkshire, dealing with cataracts, and plans to open a Salisbury clinic later this year.

The group says elective day surgery is estimated to increase by 40 per cent in the UK in the next five years and the chain of centres will serve both the private sector and the NHS, providing surgery on demand, following referral.

Currently, 30 per cent of UK elective surgery is performed as day cases, compared with an average of 70 per cent worldwide, says the group.

"The government has made achieving a higher percentage a priority to reduce the crippling overheads of in-patient surgery," said Richard Poulden, executive chairman.

"Currently, more than five million procedures a year are done as day cases and to raise this number by any significant amount will require a massive increase in capacity.

"Eyebright is perfectly poised to capitalise on this growth potential."