HEALTH bosses and watchdogs have joined forces to welcome plans for a new strategic authority covering the whole of Lancashire and Cumbria.

The authority, which comes into force in April 2002, will replace the current five district health authorities, including the one for East Lancashire.

But, despite its size, both watchdogs and bosses are in agreement that the changes as a whole can only be good for patients.

Kath Reade, currently chairman of East Lancashire Health Authority and the former leader of Burnley Council, has been chosen as the new chair of the authority and believes the re-organisation will bring benefits for patients.

She said the changes mean the authority will become a financial watchdog to the more localised Primary Care Trusts, who will be the ones delivering the services to patients.

And chairman of Burnley Community Health Council, Frank Clifford, said the CHC view was that the Government's re-organisation would benefit patients because it cut down tiers of bureacracy and save money, which should go direct to patients' services.

Mrs Reade said she believed although the authority will cover a bigger area than the body it will replace, the move will bring services closer to patients because they will be delivered by the new localised Primary Care Trusts.

The re-organisation will bring the number of health authorities nationally down from 95 to 28 and, locally, will see five health authorities, including East Lancashire merge into one.

The Government estimates it will save £100 million on management costs alone.

She said: "At the moment, ELHA commissions healthcare services from the hospitals. It will be the PCTs that will do that. The new authority's role will be to ensure all the PCTs and the hospital trusts are actually performing and using the money correctly and meeting all the targets in terms of waiting lists and standards of care.

"It will also be about breaking down barriers and getting professionals around the table in a way they have never done before, and then at a higher level, making sure things are being done right. It is something I am really excited about."

Frank Clifford, chair of Burnley CHC, said: "It seems only sensible because it will obviously free up more resources for patient care. That has got to be welcomed. To make one authority here will obviously ensure that more money goes direct to patients.

"The PCTs have got the power at the grass roots in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. We were instrumental in putting the block on Burnley going it alone.

"That made no sense whatsoever to the CHC, but with the PCTs as they are going to be now, they are fitting in with the acute trusts as they are now.

"As the re-organisation is at the moment, it will bring benefits for patients, because it requires NHS life to examine itself and find out if there is any other way of doing things that will speed up things for patients.

"The re-organisation is not just about the big things, although they are welcome. It is about everyone looking at the way they are doing things."