A NEW specialist trust will be set up next year to provide mental health services in the borough.

The Government this week gave the green light for the establishment of a mental health NHS Trust covering Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Glossop. It will be known as the Pennine Care NHS Trust and will be fully operational in April 2002.

Under the re-organisation of services, clinical teams from the different areas will be brought together under a single management structure to maximise opportunities to retain, recruit and train staff to the benefit of users and carers.

Health chiefs say that the new trust is the first step towards a long-term strategy for the local provision and modernisation of integrated mental health services in the NHS and social services.