A £6.8m investment will bring more nurses on hospital wards, better overnight care and improved services for the borough's eldery, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust has pledged.

Recruitment of more midwives and consultants, A&E upgrades and extra support for home care are also among priorities outline by the trust this week.

The £6.8m budget will be spent over the next year at Croydon University Hospital.

Croydon could also be in line for an additional £3.5m NHS premium, if the trust can demonstrate measurable improvements in the quality of its care through factors such as reduced mortality rates, fewer avoidable emergency admissions and lower infection rates.

John Goulston, chief executive of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said: "We achieved good results in our quality improvement areas last year, reducing patient mortality and risk of patient harm as well as improving our maternity services.

"Our planned improvements for the year ahead are excellent for our patients and local community."

Your Local Guardian: New NHS CEO John Goulston

John Goulston, chief executive of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust