THE chief executive of Bolton Hospice is urging GPs not to forget the charity when they take over most of the NHS budget.

There is currently a question mark over a third of the facility’s funding because of NHS reforms.

The hospice, which cares for local terminally ill people, receives £1 million a year from the borough’s Primary Care Trust, NHS Bolton.

But hospice chiefs have said there are no guarantees this will continue when NHS reforms come in. It is not yet known if GPs will continue to support the cause.

The PCT is due to be axed in April, 2013, with groups of doctors taking over the organisation’s commissioning role.

Margaret Evans, chief executive of the hospice, said: “We don’t know what is going to happen, we hope the GPs will find us as vital as the PCT but there are no guarantees.

“There is a question mark over £1 million of our funding.”

However, NHS Bolton said it was committed to the charity and expects GPs to carry on providing funding when the organisation is axed in two years.

A spokesman said: “We have got a long-term contract with Bolton Hospice and will continue to honour it.”

But the spokesman added the decision will ultimately be down to the GPs who will take over the budget.

The town is set to have two consortia, which are still in the process of being set up.

They will together control around £400 million of NHS funds locally and will choose which services to buy for Bolton.