VALE residents are being invited to have their say in shaping the future of their health services.

Worcestershire Health Authority has now launched its consultation process designed to get people's views on its plans for a South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust.

The trust would start running from April 1 next year and its executive committee of 13 would include 10 professional members, such as GPs, nurses and therapists.

It would be responsible for running Evesham and Pershore's hospitals and for providing health services at a local level.

Pat Archer-Jones, chief executive of Worcestershire Health Authority, said: "These proposed changes are designed to improve health and health care for people in the county.

"This should enable services to be better integrated, with acute hospitals providing highly specialised care and primary and community care teams providing a wide range of diagnostic, rehabilitation and other key services.

"The aim of the proposed trusts is to make sure that health services are centred around the needs of patients and, where standards of care permit, as close to their home as possible."

Similar proposals are in place for a primary care trust for Redditch and Bromsgrove and the health authority is holding a series of public meetings to explain and discuss its plans.

Health authority chairman Jacqui Cravos added: "It is important that we hear the views of people in the south Worcestershire area about the proposals for these primary care trusts and I urge them to attend one of the public meetings."

Public meetings take place in the committee room of Pershore Civic Centre, at 7pm, on July 30 and Evesham Town Hall, at 7pm, on July 31.