THE local health authority will merge with colleagues in east Surrey and Sussex to form a regional "strategic" health authority - despite opposition from the county council.
The Department of Health has announced that from April 1, West Surrey Health Authority will merge with East Surrey, East and West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove Health Authorities to form the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority.
The move is part of the government's modernisation of the NHS. It wants current district health authority powers devolved to the soon-to-be-created Primary Care Trusts.
But the move was opposed during the official consultation period by Surrey County Council, which instead suggested the merger of Surrey's two existing health authorities with the county council and Surrey Social Services.
Council chief executive Paul Coen wrote to the Department of Health earlier this month outlining the alternative vision, writing that the Surrey and Sussex body "will not serve Surrey's interests".
But health ministers have stuck with the original Surrey and Sussex proposal after three months of consultation, which netted 300 responses.
West Surrey Health Authority's project director Sandra Chisholm said most respondents were in favour of the move.
"The pace of change in the NHS is extremely fast at the moment and strategic health authorities will play a very different role from the current health authorities.
"This announcement removes some of the uncertainty and plans to establish the new authority can move ahead swiftly in the new year."