The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse outreach clinic is operating out of the Regional Specialist centre on The Ringers Road.

Head and neck pathologist and ear, nose and throat surgeon, Dr Michael Elliott, saw his first patients at the clinic on Friday.

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"At the moment, people from the Tamworth area have to travel five hours to Sydney for an appointment," Dr Elliot said.

"We see patients for five years after head or neck operations for check-ups, and initially it's every three to four months. It's a burden on them to travel.

"Often for a review, it doesn't take particularly long to do, but a 10-hour round trip is a significant imposition for the patient."

Many of the patients Dr Elliot sees are for head or neck related-cancers, however as an ear, nose and throat surgeon, he is "happy to help out any referrals".

"There is a pile of 100 patients that need to be seen in Tamworth alone," he said.

"The alternative is sending them to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where there is a three-year waiting list just to be seen.

"So I'm happy to help out. If things go well, I might even come fortnightly."

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Dr Elliot expects to see between 20 to 25 patients each trip and said there could be opportunities to do minor surgeries in Tamworth in the future.

"Many of the surgeries are complex 12-hour operations, with the patient in the hospital for two weeks after," Dr Elliot said.

"But hopefully, with time we might be able to do some minor procedures in the local area."

Dr Elliot said there was a clear need for the service, particularly given the higher rates of head and neck cancer in regional areas due lifestyle factors such as too much sun exposure and higher rates of smoking.

"The reality is, if we can expedite the assessment process, we often get better results," he said.

"If we can see people quickly, and catch something in the lower stages, we will be less likely to need aggressive treatment."