ALTON patients will benefit from the setting up of pioneering primary care services at Bordon and Basingstoke.

Chase Hospital at Bordon and North Hampshire Hospital at Basingstoke are to provide the venues for the first Ôfast trackÕ Diagnostic and Treatment Centres (DTCs) in the country.

The news, announced on Thursday last week by Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, should help to secure the future of Chase Hospital which was facing imminent closure of its GP and consultant beds.

Mr Milburn confirmed that the local NHS had been successful in a £7.5m bid to provide new Diagnostic and Treatment facilities at North Hampshire Hospital together with a further £700,000 for the Bordon scheme which will enable the refurbishment and additional equipment of Chase Hospital. The two centres will be developed in tandem.

In announcing the successful funding applications, Mr Milburn said: ÒThis is part of a national investment programme aimed at providing an extra 20,000 treatments a year, which will make an early impact on waiting times in some of the most pressured parts of the country.

ÒThey will provide a wide range of innovative approaches to providing fast and convenient care, in partnership with different public and private organisations, in primary care and in hospitals.Ó

North Hampshire Hospital Trust Chief Executive, Mark Davies, described the announcement as Òabsolutely excellent newsÓ for patients in North Hampshire which includes Alton.

ÒIt is also a huge vote of confidence in all our staff that we can deliver such a Ôleading edgeÕ project,Ó he said.

The £7.5m investment will involve the construction of a new purpose-built unit on the Basingstoke site which should ensure that patients can have their condition diagnosed more quickly by providing easy access to tests and treatments and quicker access to operations.

Mr Davies explained: ÒThe DTC will be dedicated to providing appointments, tests and operations in a fast and convenient way and for patients to be treated when they want rather than asking patients to fit around the system.Ó

Chief executive of the North Hampshire Primary Care Trust, Gill Duncan, was delighted with the go ahead for the Chase scheme.

ÒNow that funding for the alterations has been secured we can forge ahead with agreeing the services that will feature in the new centre.

ÒThe overall aim is to give patients fast access to services in their local community so that they do not have to travel or wait for investigations and appointments at a district hospital.

ÒThere are several possibilities, including having pre-assessment clinics at the Chase which would enable people to be assessed locally before being admitted to acute hospitals.Ó