Yesterday's announcement that all 302 Primary Care Trusts in England will be abolished by 2013 with more power given to GPs represents a complete about-turn from the Coalition Agreement of less than two months ago.
Yesterday’s announcement that all 302 152 Primary Care Trusts in England will be abolished by 2013 with more power given to GPs represents a complete about-turn from the Coalition Agreement of less than two months ago, which promised directly elected patient representatives on PCT boards and pledged that local PCTs “will act as a champion for patients”, commissioning services best undertaken at a wider level “rather than directly by GPs”.
The agreement, pages 24-25, clearly states:
• We will ensure that there is a stronger voice for patients locally through directly elected individuals on the boards of their local primary care trust (PCT).
The remainder of the PCT’s board will be appointed by the relevant local authority or authorities, and the Chief Executive and principal officers will be appointed by the Secretary of State on the advice of the new independent NHS board. This will ensure the right balance between locally accountable individuals and technical expertise.
• The local PCT will act as a champion for patients and commission those residual services that are best undertaken at a wider level, rather than directly by GPs.
It will also take responsibility for improving public health for people in their area, working closely with the local authority.
At no point does it mention their abolition, but quite the opposite, namely that PCTs would be stregthened and democartised. Now, they are in fact going to be split up between councils and GPs – yet even the supposed accountability to local councils isn’t fully democratic, as they will also be answerable to a national body.
Earlier today, Left Foot Forward looked in detail at the health secretary’s white paper, highlighting one of the most fundamental problems the plans will encounter – that most GPs do not want the hassle of strategic planning, negotiating multi-million pound budgets and making unpopular decisions about NHS service organisation and costs – and asking whether the white paper marks the beginning of the end of the NHS.
27 Responses to “PCTs: From being “champions for patients” to being abolished – in just two months”
Liz McShane
Anon – you can’t deny that The Lib Dems have jettisoned a lot of key policies & principles (that’s if they ever had any) now that they are ‘in bed’ with The Tories. Surely you can’t deny that? eg VAT increase? But Clegg was alwaya a bit of a ‘closet Tory’ anyway.
Liz McShane
Anon – p.s. have you found the source yet of that very ‘interesting’ statistic you mentioned yesterday that shows that 90% of The UK population want the death penalty back…?..
Anon E Mouse
Liz – The 90% was in a News Of The World survey several years ago so no but Tony Blair once mentioned it I think!
I actually think it’s probably more now since Ian Huntley butchered those little girls a few years back.
Clegg always was a Tory I agree; there never was a closet! and yes in a coalition it is a matter of give and take.
Remember Liz it’s the new politics and we’re all in this together…
Liz McShane
Re the NOTW survey – I wonder what the question was….?
Re this coalition – so far it seems to have been more ‘take’ (from Tories that is).
‘We are all in this together’… God help us!
Mike
The Tories dont care if GPs want to commission services
they will force it through
But Norwich Union or what ever they are called now ….Aviva
will do commssioning for free …anyway
just to get access to patients and offer them “top up” private health insurance
or to jump the long queue’s the Tories will have in the NHS due to cuts