AN end to ‘postcode lottery’ health services across the Black Country is one of the promises from health bosses in a massive merger planned for the region.

The four health groups who represent GPs and other local health services across the Black Country and West Birmingham want to merge to create one big organisation to save costs and improve efficiency.

Together the four Clinical Commission Groups – Dudley; Sandwell and West Birmingham; Walsall; Wolverhampton - represent around 1.5 million people, 330,000 in Dudley.

CCGs are made up of people representing doctors’ surgeries, hospitals, community and men health providers, councils, community groups and others.

A key role is organizing and buying in health care services, and after years of working together and discussing the idea, they now say merging into one body will help ensure better and more standardised health services across the area.

But they also stress that while the organization will be bigger, it will be arranged around the current four areas so that patients retain their local service.

They estimate a £1m saving from reduced management and organizational costs. They also believe it makes them all financially more secure and able to attract more capital investment.

One of the big benefits could be for people with rare illnesses. Specialist help may be in short supply in one of the areas, say Dudley, but a bigger region means specialists from further afield could be called in.

The governing bodies of the four CCGs have now formally applied to NHS England to be allowed to merge next spring.

Local GPs have already voted 90% in favour of the move.