SOME patients in Chorley will be able to book their hospital appointments when it suits them following a £20m investment into 60 new NHS pilot schemes.

The Government says the revolutionary on-the-spot booking service means that by 2001, more than two million people will have the opportunity to book their appointments to fit in with commitments such as work, childcare and household duties.

The NHS says the system will take away the uncertainty of patients not knowing how long they will have to wait and give them plenty of notice to organise their lives.

In addition, it is said it will benefit hospitals by cutting down on red tape and helping them to plan a whole package of care. And it should help slash the million or so missed hospital appointments every year which cost millions of pounds.

Under the pilot schemes, Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust and Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust will see a five-phase scheme set up for booked admissions for all-day case endoscopy (6,800 patients), all-day case procedures in the surgical specialties (9,700 patients) and a further 3,500 endoscopy outpatients.

Other participating organisations in the scheme are South Lancashire and North West Lancashire health authorities, Chorley and South Ribble PCG and Preston PCG.

The scheme has been given £130,210 funding for 1999-2000 and £213,997 for 2000-2001. The £20m investment was announced by the Prime Minister who signalled that he wants the programme to be rolled out across the country over time, changing the whole way the NHS organises care and radically changing people's relationships with the NHS.

Mr Blair said: "I have no doubt that booked appointments will prove to be as much of a revolution for the NHS as literacy hour and numeracy hour have been for primary schools."

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