HEALTH services in Bolton have received a record amount of cash in Gordon Brown's Budget.

An additional £33.2 million will be ploughed into health care in the town - taking the total cash for the next financial year to more than £400 million.

The money is given to the Primary Care Trust which will hand some of it to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

It will be used to slash waiting times, improve community facilities and services, such as district nurses, and to pay for any inflation-related costs, such as an increase in the amount paid for services at the hospital and GPs surgeries.

Dr Brian Iddon, MP for Bolton South-east, said: "To achieve this waiting time reduction would be a huge achievement for the NHS, making it more streamlined and productive as well as creating a much better experience for patients."

David Crausby, MP for Bolton North-east, added: "This is extremely good news because we certainly need it as in Bolton we have health issues that are specific to our part of the world and we really should be addressing them.

"Myself, Dr Brian Iddon and Ruth Kelly have argued the case for better investment in health because in our opinion we haven't always had enough investment."

And Ruth Kelly, MP for Bolton West, said: "This is excellent news for Bolton and the additional funding for health services comes on top of increases over several years.

"It's only Labour that's committed to sustained investment to meet the specific health needs of the people of Bolton."

Council leaders also welcomed the news, praising the existing health service, but urging that the money should be spent on preventative measures as well as curing the sick.

Conservative councillor Andy Morgan, who is chairman of the health scrutiny committee, said: "We welcome the money, but it's what we should have been given all along as I believe we've been underfunded.

"It will be put to good use for the people of Bolton, but I would urge the PCT to use some of this money on preventative measures rather than just supporting patients who are already ill."

Cllr Margaret Clare, executive member for adult services, added: "I'm very pleased because this will add to an already excellent health service within Bolton."

Last year, Bolton was given a £30 million boost - a rise of almost 10 per cent - but health bosses are warning the massive investment could be at an end.

Tim Evans, interim chief executive of Bolton Primary Care Trust, said: "There have been five years of big growth in the NHS. I would expect this to drop to three per cent in the next three years. We're going to spend a lot, probably around £11 million, on reducing waiting times to 18 weeks.

"This is excellent news. Five years ago patients could be waiting up to two years for a hip operation, but now it's 18 weeks."