Nurses will act as 'advocates' for patients

Health Secretary John Reid also said the government wanted to expand its expert patient scheme to provide help for others in the same boat.

There are 17.5m people living with chronic conditions in the UK.

Mr Reid announced the plans at a 'Big Conversation' event in London on Tuesday.

They will act as 'search engines' in human form Health Secretary John Reid

The estimated �500m proposals, which came out of other Big Conversation events, are part of a five-year plan for the NHS.

The care of patients with chronic conditions, which also include asthma, arthritis, depression and heart failure, accounts for around 80% of GP consultations.

Mr Reid said these 10% of people account for 55% of hospital inpatient stays.

Community matrons, who are senior nurses, will act as patient's point of contact for NHS and social services care.

"They will act as 'search engines' in human form, and will help people to find their way through all the facets of the NHS care."

There are currently 129 community matrons working in the NHS. Department sources say the extra will be recruited by 2008 as part of the ongoing nurse recruitment process.

Mr Reid said the community matrons would be able to help the 250,000 people who have complex long term health problems.

Primary care 'crucial'

Under the expert patient programme, 10,000 lay people are being trained to help others with the same long-term condition.

Mr Reid said: "This should be rolled out throughout the NHS, and by 2008 should be available to everyone with a chronic disease who chooses it."

He also praised a scheme run by Birmingham Heartlands Primary Care Trust, where GPs and nurses provide diabetes care in the community, rather than in hospitals.

Mr Reid said he planned to create incentives would be developed to encourage PCTs across the country to develop similar schemes.

Mr Reid said the government had been criticised at previous events for concentrating on hospital care and waiting times.

He added: "Whilst I think we were right that the NHS had first to prove first of all to the public that they could meet the access times that people demanded, the time is now right to emphasise the importance of primary care."

Sue Thomas, advisor in chronic disease and disability for the Royal College of Nursing welcomed the initiative.

But she added: "We have serious doubts whether there will be the staff available to fill these new posts.

"The demand for community nurses is at an all time high with the increased focus on services closer to home.

"The RCN will be urging the government to focus on recruiting and retaining these vital senior nurses."

Dr Andrew Dearden, a GP and chairman of the British Medical Association's community care committee said: "Community matrons will be a welcome addition for both the patient - who will have access to a named person when seeking advice or support on a particular problem - and the GP who will have more time to spend on diagnosis and treatment."

Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Education, Tim Yeo MP, said: "Labour has been so obsessed with their targets on acute conditions, that the needs of 17.5m people who suffer from chronic conditions have been neglected.

"Rather than telling the press about their intentions to introduce "matrons", which the public really want back in charge of hospital wards and tackling problems like the rise in MRSA, people with chronic conditions want to be given real control over their healthcare now."

Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat health spokesman, warned: "There is already a chronic shortage of district nurses from which these community matrons would be drawn. Rather than focusing on the headlines