Healthcare spending for every person in the area is set to rise after the Swale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was awarded a budget increase.

The 4.56% boost for the 2015/16 year will see an additional £15 for every individual it cares for, bringing the total to £1,169 per person.

The CCG’s budget will now stand at £128.877 million for the year from April – a total rise of more than £5.5m.

The extra cash recognises the issues parts of Swale are facing, including higher than average smoking and obesity levels and a population that is expected to rise by nearly 2,000 next year.

It is also the third most deprived district in Kent, with an average life expectancy of 79 – the lowest of the county’s eight CCGs.

The CCG’s administration costs, which are kept separate from patient money, will be cut by £250,000 by working more closely with the Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley and Medway CCGs.

Swale CCG chairman Fiona Armstrong called the funding boost “welcome news” for the area. She added: “The CCG has said from the beginning that the area needs more money spent on health.

“We will continue to commission better and more focused care for those with the highest needs while using NHS resources to the best of our ability.”

Veteran Labour councillor Angela Harrison called the cash injection positive news but argued a more inventive approach should be taken to fix the long-term health issues in the area.

She said: “We do need this extra money but we need to look outside the box.

“Some years ago, you could go to your doctor and instead of him giving you a prescription for pills he could write a prescription for one hour a week for six weeks at your local leisure centre.

“Rather than saying we’ve got an extra £15 per person, we need to look at what [figures] we want to get down, like obesity – how we can target that money at small groups.”

The additional funding is part of a wider plan seeing NHS England pass on £1.5 billion to frontline health services in areas that are most in need.