A NATIONAL health watchdog is reviewing the quality of service provided by Wigan and Bolton Health Authority.

The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) is carrying out a "clinical governance review" which examines the management, provision and quality of service.

It also identifies any areas for improvement.

The team undertaking the review includes an NHS doctor, nurse, a clinical professional, an NHS manager and a GP.

During their visit to the area, the CHI team is also conducting a review of the mental health services of Wigan and Leigh Health Services NHS Trust.

The team will talk to clinicians, managers and staff. Local people and organisations will be invited to meetings to comment on issues.

At the end of the review a public report will be published.

CHI chairman Dame Deirdre Hine said: "The patient's experience of care lies at the heart of reviews. We aim to improve standards of care by focusing on the experience of those using the NHS.

"We want to hold a mirror in front of every part of the NHS so it can see itself as the patients see it."

She added: "We also want to restore public confidence in the NHS as a whole and, by including lay people in every review team, the public will see that its concerns are understood and being taken seriously."

Health Authority chief executive Dr Tom Mann said: "We are delighted to be among the first in this new initiative to improve services to patients in the NHS. This organisation is committed to be as open as possible and will give the CHI every co-operation.

The CHI holds clinical management reviews in each NHS centre every four years. The whole process takes about 26 weeks.