HEALTH supremos have rubber-stamped a radical move which could shortly allow services in Blackburn and Darwen to be run by a single NHS trust.

Primary care services, including GP, dental and community-based care, will be run by the Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust, which will control its own £95million budget.

A consultation period into the changes has now finished and East Lancashire Health Authority has voted to support the Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Group's plan to establish its own NHS trust.

Health chiefs believe that under the new set-up, resources will be better targeted at specific health problems in Blackburn and Darwen - although the trust will not be providing hospital services.

In a joint statement, health authority chairman Bill Ashworth and chief executive David Peat, said: "All those who will be affected by the proposed changes have had the opportunity to take part in detailed consultation.

"They should be fully aware of what is expected for the primary health care of all who live in the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority area.

"Twenty five meetings have been held and almost 50 responses were received, which gave the health authority a wide range of views on which to base its decision.

"Some have expressed reservations and these have been taken into consideration in reaching our decision to support this proposal and forward a summary of responses and recommendations to the Secretary of State."

The decision is expected to be ratified shortly by Health Secretary Alan Milburn.

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