HEALTH chiefs are to spend £4.5 million to repair crumbling GP surgeries.

But it is a far cry from the £18 million that Bolton Primary Care Trust wants to spend on improving health centres in the town.

They have drawn up a health centre estates "wish list" earmarking principal health centres in Bolton for major redevelopment or replacement.

But health chiefs have not been able to get the extra cash to turn their wish list into a reality.

The earliest they may be able to get the extra millions is 2007.

Instead, Bolton's Primary Care Trust aim to spend £4.5 million in giving existing premises a coat of paint and repairs that will keep them going.

Westhoughton clinic, based in the area's civic buildings since 1910, has been earmarked as one site which is outdated and out of touch with the modern medical needs of patients.

It will eventually be replaced by a new building on a different site, if the Bolton PCT gets its way.

Other ideas include expanding the children's resource centre in Halliwell into a two-storey building and building a brand new clinic at Horwich.

But Bolton health chiefs, due to discuss their problem surgeries at their public board meeting at Bolton town hall on Wednesday, say they need £18.5 million to provide Bolton people with the health facilities they need.

Pressure is mounting from the Government for towns like Bolton to put in place a new tier of medical expertise which will mean GPs can carry out more minor operations thereby easing the workload of hospitals.

But Bolton has not invested in care at GP level for 12 years and surgeries are not big enough for modern medicine.

Health chiefs recently put forward a plan to spend £32 million rebuilding centres but it was turned down by the government.