Oxfordshire Health Authority has been given a £357m boost by the Government.

The money, which will be paid during the financial year 2000/2001, is an increase of £23.6m - 7.09 per cent - on last year's amount. It comes at a time when the authority's hospitals have reached crisis point. In real terms, the increase is £14.9m - 4.47 per cent.

A "level three" alert has hit hospitals in the county three times in the last fortnight with GPs warned not to refer patients to hospital and paramedics advised to take emergencies to Northampton or Reading.

The Government, which is paying £5.4bn to health authorities across the South East, has also set out a series of National Health Service priorities. These include focusing on tackling smoking, drugs, teenage pregnancy, cancer, coronary heart disease and strokes as well as trying to reduce waiting times for people waiting for operations and improving care and support for older people, the mentally ill and children.

OHA spokesman Steve Argent said: "The money will be spent on all forms of health care across the county."

Health Secretary Alan Milburn said: "This is a sensible, sustainable investment that will continue the Government's drive to modernise the NHS.

"We are making the NHS faster, fairer and more convenient for patients by increasing investment and modernising services." Barbara Stocking, regional director of the NHS Executive South East, said: "We are very pleased all health authorities in the South East region will receive additional funding of at least 3.6 per cent over and above the rate of inflation.

"These resources will allow the NHS in the South East to make good progress in the drive to modernise health services."

*David Highton, 45, has been named new chief executive of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. He takes over in April.

Story date: Thursday 23 December

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