THE county’s NHS will go through its biggest reorganisation in seven years tomorrow, April 1.

NHS Cheshire clinical commissioning group (CCG) will be the new organisation responsible for planning and buying healthcare across both Cheshire East and West boroughs.

It replaces the four old CCGs of Vale Royal, South Cheshire, Eastern Cheshire and West Cheshire, with the aims of giving health bosses a stronger voice and allowing all residents the same access to healthcare.

Clare Watson, accountable officer for the CCG, said: “Working together as Cheshire will enable us to strengthen our work as a single team to ensure the people of Cheshire are able to access consistently good care – wherever they live.

“It will also enable us to further support the development of integrated care partnerships (ICPs) in Cheshire East and Cheshire West which will provide more care closer to home.”

Cheshire is one of a growing number of places to merge its CCGs – with a total of 74 across the country set to become just 18 when a wave of mergers takes place on Wednesday.

Commissioners want to start spending more money on community services across the county to help ease pressure on hospitals.

Meanwhile, the two ICPs will help the NHS work closer with social care providers, while 14 new ‘care communities’ across local patches will consider the best way to tackle specific health issues affecting a particular area.

READ > Wife found in boot of car after being stopped on M6

Members of the public backed the move in a consultation last May, when 76.5 per cent of respondents supported the creation of Cheshire CCG, before GPs gave it the go-ahead at a referendum last October.

It looks set to pave the way for further mergers in the north west, with health chiefs in Warrington, Halton, St Helens and Knowsley currently discussing similar plans.