THE Government has given East Lancashire Health Authority a £5.5 million festive bonus to help cope with winter demands.

And the cash includes £85,000 to spend on breast cancer care in the area.

The authority's finance director, Chris Dickson, said the cash was not as much as he had hoped for.

But it would help the authority address some of the health issues facing it this winter.

"The additional money has been supplemented with cash from our own reserves to help us maintain and develop services in East Lancashire over the winter," he said.

A series of major winter projects has been planned in medical centres throughout Lancashire, ranging from additional beds to specialist nurse support.

The projects are one of 242 initiatives being taken by health authorities in the North West, thanks to a £22.4 million share of a £300 million pot for the NHS announced by the Government in October. Cash ranging from £120,00 to £10,000 from the bonus will be pumped into a host of services in Lancashire, including:

Extending facilities for additional beds, £130,000

Temporary extension of intensive care unit facilities, Blackburn and Burnley Healthcare, £160,000

Increase community nurse support to nursing/residential homes, Blackburn and Burnley Healthcare, £10,000

Pathology and radiology support, Burnley and Blackburn Healthcare, £64,000

Extend Hospital at Home to accept more acute patients, Communicare, £70,000

Twilight nursing extension and additional district nurses, Communicare, £22,000

Specialist nurse support to nursing homes/residential homes, Communicare, £10,000

Social services reserve, the East Lancashire Health Authority and Lancashire Social Services Department, £120,000.

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