HEALTH bosses have vowed that patients in Eastleigh's southern parishes will not lose out if a proposed shake-up of their services goes ahead.

Overseers of frontline health care from the Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority promise existing services will continue when a new Eastleigh and Romsey primary care trust is formed.

The pledge comes after the borough's would-be Labour MP Sam Jaffa, pictured, slammed the plan to group all Eastleigh patients under one umbrella trust. Currently 50,000 patients in the southern parishes fall within Southampton East Healthcare's boundaries and many fear the effect of the shake-up set for 2002.

Mr Jaffa said: "I understand that the patients of GPs in the southern parishes will suffer with less services because of the link.

"Over the past ten years many services have been added by the southern parishes' GPs and their links with Southampton. I ask that those who run Eastleigh North Primary Care Group and those who support the link confirm that the services available to patients will be maintained."

A spokeswoman for the health authority said Mr Jaffa's concerns were unfounded and added: "Basically, it will not affect services. Every effort will be made to maintain and further enhance locally-based services that have developed in the area when it becomes the new PCT.

"It is not envisaged that that will present any difficulties and services that are already there will continue to be achieved either through direct provision or by commissioning agreements.

"That is already a subject of discussion among GPs as to how they are going to do that."

A public consultation exercise on the proposals is set to take place next summer.