A HEALTH boss has been appointed to develop health care services in a town.

One of Ali Wilson's jobs is to find ways of keeping hospital beds free in Hartlepool.

Hartlepool Primary Care Trust said that in most cases and with the right support people are much happier and recover better in their own homes.

The trust wants to develop more GP and nurse-led clinics to relieve the pressure on hospital waiting lists and to provide a more local and quicker service.

Ms Wilson, the trust's new director of primary care development and modernisation, said: "We are looking at the way we deliver all services in primary care - general practice, dentistry, pharmacy and optometry.

"My job is to translate it into something that will work.

"There is so much evidence that people don't like to travel, which is why it's so exciting for primary care as it is about how we can provide local services.

"We are looking at how unnecessary hospital admissions can be avoided but if patients do have to go in, we are working with the hospitals to keep the length of stay to a minimum by making sure we have the services in the community to look after them."