PATIENTS are set to benefit from a multi-million pound cash injection into front line health services in the region.

Primary care organisations in North Yorkshire are to receive more than £50 million of extra funding for 2002-03.

This is a 9.84 per cent increase on this year's allocation for the county of £515.3 million.

The increase is set to go before members of North Yorkshire Health Authority for approval at their next meeting on Monday.

More than half of the increase will be needed to cope with higher costs, such as pay rises and inflation. About a quarter of the increase has been earmarked to be spent on mental health, coronary heart disease, cancer, increases in capacity, primary care improvements and information technology.

John Grimes, director of finance at the authority, said: "Our aim in proposing these allocations is to make sure each of the county's primary care organisations is able to make progress on services in line with the NHS plan, and we are also seeking to bring a fairer share of resources to all parts of the county.

"This is the last time North Yorkshire Health Authority will receive its own allocation of resources because, from next year, money will be allocated direct to Primary Care Trusts."

He said primary care organisations would make the specific decisions about how to spend the county's allocations.

"However, they share the same priorities: making sure emergency services can deliver, reducing waiting times for care, and progressing the national clinical priority areas of cancer, heart disease, mental health and services for older people," he said.

The new North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Health Authority will be responsible for holding primary care organisations to account over how they spend their resources for the coming year.

Updated: 12:04 Wednesday, January 16, 2002