A PILOT scheme is to be introduced in Bolton offering cancer patients chemotherapy treatment at home.

Community Healthcare Bolton NHS Trust and Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust have joined forces with the voluntary sector, carers and the Community Health Council to develop services and make them more patient-friendly.

One of the main developments will be giving a small group of patients the chance to have cancer treatment in their own homes instead of lengthy stays in hospital.

Medics are looking to develop a "domiciliary chemotherapy service" jointly with Christie Hospital in Manchester. They are developing a business case for the service, which would start by next March.

Plans are also being developed for a consultant nurse post in the Community Healthcare Bolton and to appoint a clinical director for cancer services at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Patrick Wallace, chief executive of Community Healthcare Bolton, said: "It is all about providing a seamless service for the patient -- a service tailor made to meet their needs.

"We are all anxious to ensure that the patient, their carers and families get the very best level of care from every service provider and is kept fully informed at every level."

Sam Pinder, assistant director of cancer service development, with Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, added: "A great deal of work has been undertaken nationally to research what cancer patients and their families and carers want. In Bolton, the Health and Care Partnership and their partner organisations are looking at enabling extensive user and carer involvement in the planning of services."