PATIENTS have been promised NHS improvements as an extra £10 million is given to local hospitals.

More services, shorter waiting times and more help for the elderly are on the way for all parts of the borough.

Bury Health Care NHS Trust is about to receive almost £55 million for the current financial year, a rise of £5 million.

Its Rochdale counterpart will receive £66 million, an increase of £3.5 million, while the North Manchester Trust will get £22 million, up by £1.5 million.

Mr Evan Boucher, director of development and planning at Bury and Rochdale Health Authority, said: "These settlements will allow the local Trusts to strengthen important service areas, including waiting times for cancers, drugs for cardiac care, and provision for the elderly during the winter months. The resources will go into sustaining and improving patient care for residents in Bury and Rochdale while ensuring implementation locally of the modernisation agenda for the new NHS."

However, Mr Boucher said that the health authority, local trusts and Primary Care Groups would have to balance extra money against various pressures.

"Demands on the budget are likely to come from the need to meet waiting list and other quality targets, and the extra costs associated with directives coming from national bodies like the National Institute for Clinical Excellence."