MORE than £100,000 was paid to a public relations giant as part of a campaign to improve the health of East Lancashire residents.

The campaign to Save a Million Years of Life (SMYL) was run by NHS East Lancashire.

Last month the trust admitted the target of a million years – an average of 2.6 for every man, woman and child in the health trust area – would be missed.

It had only managed to save around 300,000 years, it said, claiming it was now an ‘aspiration’.

Now it can be revealed NHS East Lancashire spent £39,000 every year with PR consultancy Bell Pottinger to promote the ‘brand’.

Bosses said the trust only had a small press office operation and had to contract out the work.

Sohail Bhatti, the trust’s interim director of public health, said: “The SMYL campaign is estimated to have added one year of life, on average, to each of its 382,000 residents so far.

“The benefits of the campaign, however, go far beyond the one year of life saved. “The campaign has become a recognised brand for East Lancashire, and an aspiration for the community to live a healthier life, not just a longer life.”