DEMENTIA care in Bolton has been given an outstanding rating by NHS England.

NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has received an overall 'good' rating in the national annual assessment of CCGs.

It was one of 99 to get a positive review, with a further 21 receiving an 'outstanding' rating, including Salford CCG – a first port of call for Bolton patients needing acute stroke treatment.

NHS Blackburn with Darwen CCG, was one of 66 to be been told they required improvement, while 23 are rated inadequate.

Bolton has been judged to have performed particularly well in a number of national priority areas, achieving ‘outstanding’ for dementia care and ‘good’ for cancer and mental health.

Dr Wirin Bhatiani, CCG chairman, said: "We are very proud of this result. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of not only those at the CCG, but also our healthcare providers and local partners.

"This rating is a reflection of the improvements we have made for local people over the past year. The real reward here is the positive impact on patient care.”

"We have made a great deal of progress in recent years but there is of course still more to do. We have ambitious plans to ensure that local services are fit for the future and continue to deliver high quality care."

The outstanding rating for dementia care follows partnership work with GP practices, with the support of Bolton’s Memory Assessment Service provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to enable more people with the condition to receive a formal diagnosis and access care and support.

In care care, it credited work with Macmillan, Bolton Hospice, and patient group Bolton PAC to deliver cancer support service for the borough.

The CCG said it had prioritised making improvements to mental health services in the borough, increasing funding year on year to improve crisis care, services for children and young people and therapies.

Bolton was also judged to be performing well in use of high quality health and care providers, offering regular health checks to people with learning disabilities, financial management and high quality leadership.