AN extra £8m is to be invested in north Durham to improve health services, it was announced yesterday.

Derwentside Primary Care Trust (PCT) has revealed that its budget for 2004-2005 will be £101m - an £8.2m increase on last year.

The PCT has spent the past few weeks working with partners such as Derwentside District Council, hospitals, social services and community groups, to determine where the extra cash can best be spent.

Wynn Griffiths, the trust's chief executive, said: "This will be a very challenging year for the PCT, as we aim to achieve national priorities, achieve waiting time standards and improve health services for local people.

"There are a number of key developments planned that will make a huge difference to the way in which services are delivered and to the quality of health care provided."

Some of the extra cash will be swallowed up by inflationary costs, leaving about £6.9m to be split between seven projects.

Improving access to hospital services will be boosted with a £1.2m grant while £1.3m will go on improving access to prescription medicines.

Another £1.1m will enhance provision of minor surgery, childhood immunisations and supporting specialist GPs.

Up to £600,000 will help provide a new out-of-hours service, and £232,000 will go towards the new cardiac anglography laboratory at Durham's University Hospital.

A total of £350,000 will be pumped into developing more community-based mental health services and the remaining £150,000 will go on improving information services for patients and doctors.

Derwentside is one of the most economically deprived areas in the UK, a key indicator of poor health.

Mr Griffiths said that, while the extra cash is welcome, there was more work to be done.

He said: "Although we have not been able to tackle everything we would like to, we have been able to identify a very significant level of investment in new or expanded services across the Derwentside area.

"We hope that our investment plan will further reduce some of the health service concerns that people have raised by improving and expanding the services that exist, and through the development of new services."

Copies of the PCT's investment plan are available at www.derwentside-pct.nhs.uk or by ringing (01207) 594460.