Government NHS Reform Plans 'On Track'

The Government is to go ahead with radical changes to the NHS in England.

Following a public consultation, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the reform agenda was "on track" despite health union concerns.

By 2013 Primary Care Trusts are to be abolished, when GPs will plan hospital care and manage budgets to accomodate it. Labour leader Ed Miliband has condemned the new plans and John Healey, Shadow Health Secretary said: "This is a massive upheaval and a massive distraction and it puts a pressure on the NHS which it could live without at the moment.

"And when the doctors don't want it, the health experts are warning against it, patients groups are concerned, this is really the last thing that the government needs to do."

In the recent public consultation, carried out by the Department of Health, reform plans set out in a White Paper received around 6,000 responses.

"Operating framework" was also set out for the NHS for the next financial year, including allocation of money to PCTs (which control 80% of the NHS budget) ahead of their eventual abolition.

The Health Secretary announced that £89bn would go to PCTs for frontline services.

Addressing the Health Select Committee, Mr Lansley said: "And of course in addition to that, there is a great deal of scope - and necessity - for the generation of savings through improved productivity and efficiency and quality gain inside every part of the service, which will enable us next year, I hope, not only to meet demands but to improve the service we offer."

All 151 PCTs in England are now set to be scrapped, along with the next tier of organisation, the Strategic Health Authorities - ten of which operate at a regional level.

In future, the bulk of the NHS budget will be allocated to GPs working in consortia across the country.

(BMcN)