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Public consultation will be launched in September to gauge opinion on the proposals to merge North Manchester Healthcare Trust with those covering Bury, Oldham, and Rochdale.

If the proposal goes ahead, it will create one of the largest non-teaching hospital trusts in the country which will be responsible for five hospitals.

The new trust will manage Fairfield Hospital in Bury, the Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Rochdale's Birch Hill Hospital, as well as North Manchester General.

Savings of up to ?1m are expected from the merger but the project director Gloria Oates argued that the move was in the best interests of patients.

She said: "This proposal is about improving patient care, although there is an opportunity for us to make better, more efficient use of the resources available to the existing NHS trusts.

"Up to ?1m could be saved on management costs and redirected into patient care."

Public meetings to discuss the plans will be held at North Manchester General Hospital's Post-Graduate Medical centre on October 4 and October 30. The consultation ends on November 30.

A consultation document is being launched in September. This will be sent to local government organisations and voluntary groups and is available on http://www.doh.gov.uk/nwromergerconsultations.