THE people of Herefordshire fought hard to save its own health authority in 1995 when the Government threatened a merger with Worcestershire.

Now the authority is being axed and it will fade out without even a public whimper at the end of this month. The county's health authority is being merged with those in Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Coventry and will have its headquarters in Redditch.

Most of HHA's current work will be taken on by Herefordshire Primary Care Trust and the new authority, described as a strategic health authority will be there to ensure that Government targets are met and spending kept within budgets.

Herefordshire's population of round 180,000 will make up just 10 per cent of the total population of the new regional authority.

Although it comes into being on April 1 it will be October before the authority begins to function.

Some chief officers have been appointed and each health authority swallowed up in the change will be represented by one non-executive director. Charles Goody, chairman of Coventry Community Trust will be chairman, and Mike Marchment, a former chief executive of a Warwickshire trust will take that post in the new set up.

Herefordshire's representative is expected to be Cessa Moore, currently chairman of Herefordshire Health Authority.

Mrs Moore says she plans to be the eyes and ears of Herefordshire but admits there are times she will have to stand back and look at the health picture as a whole and see how services can be provided to best serve the public.

Before becoming chairman of HHA Mrs Moore, who has lived in the county for more than 40 years and is the mother of five children, had been a member, including chairman, of the watchdog Herefordshire Community Health Council for eight years.