Power to the practice

Released 12/07/2010

The long-awaited NHS White Paper is released

The Government's White Paper on the future of the NHS has been published, outlining revolutionary changes to the role of the GP, as they form groups to take responsibility for commissioning services in their area.

Under the new scheme, patients will get more control so that services are more responsive to patients and designed around them, rather than patients having to fit around services, explained a statement from the Department of Health. The principle follows the line of "no decisions about me without me".

The White Paper, called ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', has revealed that every GP will have to join a commissioning consortium by 2011/12.

These GP groups will take full responsibility and accountability for commissioning frontline services. The Government will not bail out commissioners that fail.

The White Paper also confirmed that PCTs would cease to exist in 2013 and that SHAs would be replaced by 2012/13.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley commented: "People voted for change and the Coalition Agreement set out a bold and exciting vision for the future of the NHS - a vision based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

"The NHS is our priority. That is why the Coalition Government has committed to increases in NHS resources in real terms each year of this Parliament. The sick must not pay for the debt crisis left by the previous administration. But the NHS is a priority for reform too. Investment has not been matched by reform. So we will reform the NHS to use those resources far more effectively for the benefit of patients."

Key highlights of the White Paper include:

• The government will hand power and responsibility for commissioning services to GPs and practice teams working in consortia

• Every GP must be a member of a consortium by 2011/12

• Consortia will start taking on duties from 2012/13 and full financial responsibility from April 2013

• Management allowances will be available to help fund commissioning

• An independent and accountable NHS commissioning board will allocate and account for NHS resources

• The NHS commissioning board will calculate practice-level budgets and allocate these directly to consortia and will hold practices to account

• GP consortia must name an accountable officer

• Each consortium will hold its constituent practices to account

• GP consortia will agree local priorities yearly, taking account of the NHS Outcomes Framework

• GPs will need to engage patients and the public in the commissioning process

• Over time the DoH will seek to establish a single GP contract and funding model

• PCTs and SHAs will be phased out

• Patients will be able to choose which GP practice they register with regardless of where they live

• The Government will incentivise improvement to primary care in disadvantaged areas.

The DH says it will be publishing a number of consultation documents to seek views on more detailed proposals.

What are your thoughts on the new proposals? We want to hear from you at julia.dennison@intelligentmedia.co.uk.

The full report can be downloaded from the DH website here.

Additional sources: healthcarerepublic.com

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