THE trust which governs Fairfield General Hospital to be merged with others in Oldham, Rochdale and North Manchester.

Hospital watchdogs in Bury have welcomed the move, saying it will improve services to patients.

The Government has agreed that Bury Health Care NHS Trust and the three other existing NHS Trusts should be dissolved and a single NHS Trust created in April.

Health bosses say the merger will protect and improve acute hospital services by enhancing partnership working and management arrangements.

The new Trust will be known as the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, and will take over responsibility for the Rochdale Road-based complex, together with North Manchester General Hospital, the Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale. The local health watchdog, the Community Health Council (CHC), has welcomed the reforms, saying that they will benefit patients throughout the borough.

Paul Reynolds, chief officer for Bury CHC, said: "I am happy that the merger has been given the go-ahead.

"We feel that it will be good for Bury patients by giving them greater access to specialists which will be brought together under the new trust."

Bury Health Care NHS Trust was established in 1993. It became operational in in April, 1994, to provide acute hospital care, maternity, paediatric and mental health services, together with community health services, serving a population of around 190,000.

An NHS spokesman said: "This merger relates entirely to the organisation and management of acute hospital services.

"No change is anticipated as a result of this proposal in the range of services to be offered by the new Trust, with services continuing to be provided from the existing sites."

The merger is expected to generate savings of up to £1 million in management and administration costs which, health bosses say, will be put into patient services.

Mr Reynolds said: "Reducing administrative costs can't be a bad thing. The objective now is that patients are seen by specialists, and the size of the new Trust is an opportunity to fulfil that objective."

He added that the CHC would scrutinise the work of The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in the same way as Bury Health Care NHS Trust.