The group that oversees primary health care in Airedale is celebrating after the government announced it had been granted trust status.

Airedale Primary Care Group, which serves 18 GP surgeries in the local area, will become a trust on October 1.

The decision was announced this week by Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn, who also granted trust status for Bradford City, North Bradford and Brad-ford South and West Primary Care Groups.

The change means Airedale PCG, currently part of Bradford Health Authority, will become an independent NHS organisation with wider powers.It will have a budget of £63million that can be used to buy in health services for people in Airedale.

A total of 150 community nurses will also transfer to the new Airedale Primary Care Trust from Airedale NHS Trust.

Chairman of Airedale Primary Care Group Dr Maggie Helliwell says the decision will enable the new PCT to develop the potential of agencies and communities by working together.

She says: "We have already seen that when people work co-operatively and locally we can achieve benefits for patients.

"We will now be able to integrate different services more closely than ever before, so we can provide services which meet the needs of individual patients, without organisational barriers getting in the way."

Airedale PCT will serve 117,000 people in a 77 square mile area that includes Keighley, Bingley, Ilkley and surrounding villages.

Benefits of the switch to trust status include more say and control for doctors, nurses and health workers about the development of the NHS.

This will include:

a bigger say in how money is spent

new powers to provide local services such as community nursing, community hospitals and services for the elderly

working with hospital clinicians to determine how other services are provided

closer working with local councils to improve care of patients in the community

Members of the public will have an increased say in the development of local health services. There will also be more flexibility with PCT's able to pool budgets with other organisations like social services

Primary Care Groups were introduced by the Labour government in April 1999 as part of its modernisation of the NHS.

The move to trust status follows a three-month public consultation exercise that took place across the district earlier this year.

Jim Easton, director of strategic and service development for the Northern and Yorkshire NHS Executive says: "This is a real vote of confidence for PCT's in Bradford and as the first in our region they are leading the way.

"The bottom line is better services for patients - and we are convinced that will be the result in Bradford."

The Bradford district is one of the first in the country to have all its PCG's move to trust status at the same time.