A MASSIVE health "reconfiguration" will see almost the entire health map of the South East change.

The Department of Health announced on Tuesday that there will be three primary care trusts across Kent and Medway from October 1, compared with the current eight.

The new PCTs - West Kent PCT, Medway TEaching PCT and the Eastern and Coastal Kent Teaching PCT - were formed as part of the Government's 14-week Commissioning a Patient-led NHS.

They will, according to the Department of Health, give better value for money for taxpayers through lower administration costs and greater purchasing power.

The Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority will merge with Surrey and Sussex to form the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority, which will be formed on July 1.

Graham Eccles has been appointed chairman designate of the authority, with Candy Morris as the transition lead for the change, who was previously chief executive of the Kent and Medway SHA.

Mrs Morris said: "My ambition is to enable improvements in health and healthcare to be made for over four million people who live in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

"The creation of the South East Coast SHA will allow is not only to consolidate our successes but also continue to improve in areas where we are less strong."

The ambulance service is also to merge with Sussex and Surrey to become the South East Coast Ambulance Service.