HEALTH CARE in part of North Yorkshire has received a massive cash boost worth half a billion pounds.

Health bosses recently met in Whitby to discuss the three-year Local Delivery Plan (LDP) for healthcare in Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.

They agreed on the £500m spend with the aim of improving a range of service areas, including cutting hospital bed waiting lists to a maximum of six months by December 2005 and outpatient waiting lists to 13 weeks by the same date.

Adult mental health services and child protection procedures are also to be improved, while a second consultant psycho-geriatrician will be appointed next year.

Sue Renvoize, the Primary Care Trust's director of commissioning, said: "The LDP will provide us with a framework for prioritising our spend on health services. The whole plan will be monitored on a regular basis, and a very high priority will be to meet NHS waiting time targets."

Ms Renvoize admitted there were some shortfalls within the budget planning.

She added: "Although we have received an increase in our budget, we cannot do all we would like to for children services. However, we are working on plans with partner agencies to improve these services. This is an ongoing development which will involve the public in dialogue about service delivery in the local community."

Updated: 12:06 Monday, March 31, 2003