FRONT-line health care providers across North Yorkshire are expected to be given their biggest-ever cash boost next week.

Overall, the health organisations in the county will get more than £50m of extra funding for the next financial year.

That represents a rise of 9.84 per cent on the current year's cash allocation for the county of £515.3m.

And next week the North Yorkshire Health Authority will be asked to approve the proposed distribution of the funds when they meet in York.

More than half the increase will be needed to cope with the expected higher costs, such as pay rises and inflation.

And around a quarter has been earmarked for mental health, coronary heart disease, cancer, improvements in primary care and information technology.

"Our aim in proposing these allocations is to make sure each of the county's primary care organisations is able to make progress on services in line with the NHS Plan," said the authority's director of finance John Grimes.

"We are also seeking to bring a fairer share of resources to all parts of the county."

This will be the last time the authority receives its own allocation of resources as from next year it will be allocated directly to the primary care trusts.

"Primary care organisations, not the health authority, will make the specific decision about how to spend the county's allocation," said Mr Grimes.

"However they share the same priorities: making sure emergency services can deliver, reducing waiting time for care, and progressing that national clinical priority areas of cancer, heart disease, mental health and services for older people."

The new North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Health Authority will be responsible for holding primary care organisations to account over how they spend their resources in the coming year.

And from April 1 this year four North Yorkshire primary care trusts should be in place, completing the transition from the existing primary care groups.