Patients are now able to have minor operations carried out at doctors' surgeries rather than hospitals under a wave of schemes being piloted in the NHS.

Simple procedures such as such as varicose vein and hernia repairs, mole removals and plastering of broken bones will be carried out at local surgeries as part of a nationwide wave of demonstration projects.

Health minister Lord Warner launched the initiative on Monday. The 30 pilot schemes are testing how teams of consultants, GPs and nurses can safely and effectively provide minor operations.

The minister said it was part of the government's drive to bring healthcare closer to patients.

"These innovative pilots are a vital step towards providing NHS patients with what they want - the right care, in the right place, performed by the appropriate skilled person," he said.

"These 30 pilots are all operational now and benefiting patients. What we want to do now is evaluate them, learn from them and see how we can go to scale across the NHS to benefit far more people."

He said there were many extended services already underway - from GPs carrying out operations for lumps and bumps through to home chemotherapy. 

"We will learn from these and we are working with the medical profession and its leaders to ensure that NHS services are
both easy to access and of the highest quality," Lord Warner added.

The pilots follow the commitment made in the government's health white paper in January to work with associations, including the Royal Colleges, to define appropriate models of care. 

The department is working with the pilots to identify the best approaches that can be rolled-out across the NHS.

Wider plans to offer NHS services closer to where people live and work include a commitment to invest £750m in the development of community hospitals and community services. 

This investment aims to deliver quicker access to medical tests, day surgery and out-of-hours GPs.