FINANCE: PCTs in the Merseyside cluster reported a positive picture to the end of September, with savings plans nearly £6m ahead of schedule.

The cluster board heard that cost improvement plans had netted £36.7m of savings against a projected £30.9m in the year to date.

In addition, trust over-performance across the patch was well controlled.

One area of concern was Warrington and Halton Trust where there was performance above plan of £1.7m in the first six months.