HEALTH chiefs in Warrington say cancer mortality rates are falling despite news that the town is in the bottom five for the amount of money spent on cancer care.

According to figures from a report by the Kings Fund, Warrington PCT spends the fourth least amount in the country on cancer patients at £46 per person.

This compared to the best performing PCT; Daventry and South Northants, which spends £132 per person on cancer care.

But Dr Marioth Manche, the town's deputy director of public health was quick to defend Warrington PCT and questioned the accuracy of the figures.

He said: "These figures can only be indicative. If they are accurate it shouldn't be about how much money is spent but what the population is getting out of that money.

"As long as the cancer mortality figures are coming down and preventative services are in place, then people are getting value for money and that makes far more sense than saying that Warrington is in the bottom five."

The report, Local Variations in NHS Spending Priorities, does point out that individual PCTs may have good reason for spending different amounts on different disease areas, compared with the national average'.

PCTs spend different amounts because their budgets are designed to reflect the particular needs of their population.