BETTER health care is on its way for Fylde folk following the inception of three primary care groups.

Supported by the North West Lancashire Health Authority with a base in each of the three boroughs, the groups take on the role of a working party to look at how resources can be better used within the community.

Doctors, nurses, social service representatives and people from various support groups will meet together to do just that.

A number of projects are under way with the public beginning to see the benefits from the middle of the year. One of the first initiatives will target people at high risk from heart disease, another will look at getting more community services for the elderly, including those in rural area.

One area the Fylde group is looking at is which hospital services could instead be offered in the community.

Chief executive Mike Bullock explained this would stop people having to travel all the way to Victoria Hospital from the borough for things like blood tests or advance tests before an operation.

"We want to get GPs talking more to hospital consultants as well as other doctors," he added. "This is the first time these people have come together like this and the more communication the better the services which can be delivered."

The groups also want to work with support and voluntary groups to provide help outside the doctors surgeries, to cancer sufferers for example.

"Sometimes doctors and nurses cannot answer questions because they have not been through it themselves," said Mr Bullock. "We want to make sure the machinery is in place so that when people need support it's there.

"This doesn't change the resources we have, it just means using them in a better way to improve the health of the population.

"Most of the changes will go on behind the scenes. From the patient point of view what they will see is better services rather than the organisation."

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