Nightwitch
Nightwitch to New Witch
Was reading this on the Daily mail's website....and knowing how hard it was (and is) for many of us to get our funding for our surgeries thought you may want to read.....
Doctors will rule in biggest NHS revolution for 60 years as trusts face axe | Mail Online
Doctors will rule in biggest NHS revolution for 60 years: Billions given to GPs as trusts face axe
Around £80bn will be handed straight to family GPs, while the 150 strategic health authorities and primary care trusts who currently channel it will be drastically cut back.
The plans, to be published in a white paper next week, are a victory for Health Secretary Andrew Lansley who has lobbied to give taxpayers' money directly to doctors to reduce red tape and escalating costs.
Currently funds are given by the Government to primary care trusts, which pay for patients from their area to be treated in hospital.
Under these plans, GPs — who are currently not responsible for paying for hospital referrals — would receive the money instead and pay the hospitals directly.
The change will be compulsory and tens of thousands of administrative jobs in the health service will be lost as a result.
The Coalition believes the new system will return control over treatment to doctors and patients, and GPs will also have to organise out-of-hours services which may see family doctors offering 24-hour care once again.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, has raised serious concerns about putting such a vast sum of money back
However the Daily Telegraph claims Mr Osborne has been assured by the Health Secretary that there will be safeguards in place to ensure GPs do not 'waste' the money.
Mr Lansley believes that if GPs are responsible for their own budgets and have to commission out-of-hours care, most will decide to go back to offering weekend and evening cover themselves or in local groups.
Primary care trusts and strategic health authorities which cover a range of NHS trusts and supervise local NHS services are exerting too much control, he believes.
Under the reforms, primary care trusts will not be
Mr Lansley hopes to have the changes in place by next April, although NHS managers believe that may be over-ambitious.
GPs will probably be made to sign a new contract to make them more accountable, as part of the white paper, and they will work in local groups to commission services.
He will need to secure GPs support for the plans, which may run into opposition.
The plans, which commentators have called 'the most revolutionary in the NHS since 1948' will come as a shock to Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs.
Mr Lansley will point to the joint Tory-Lib Dem document which states: 'We will strengthen the power of GPs as patients’ expert guides through the health system by enabling them to commission care on their behalf.'
The Coalition agreement also vowed to 'stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care'.
The loss of jobs, is also likely to lead to further outcry from public sector trade unions, after the threat of industrial action over plans for severe cuts in the Whitehall workforce.
A source told the Telegraph that anger of Whitehall job cuts had delayed publication of the white paper but that 'In the end, the Prime Minister clearly said to George Osborne that this was not one he should go to war on.'
The last Conservative government tried to give power back to local doctors through GP fund-holding, but the plan was voluntary only.
Doctors will rule in biggest NHS revolution for 60 years as trusts face axe | Mail Online
Doctors will rule in biggest NHS revolution for 60 years: Billions given to GPs as trusts face axe
- Primary care trusts to be scrapped
- Family doctors given £80billion
- GPs will pay hospitals directly
Around £80bn will be handed straight to family GPs, while the 150 strategic health authorities and primary care trusts who currently channel it will be drastically cut back.
The plans, to be published in a white paper next week, are a victory for Health Secretary Andrew Lansley who has lobbied to give taxpayers' money directly to doctors to reduce red tape and escalating costs.
Currently funds are given by the Government to primary care trusts, which pay for patients from their area to be treated in hospital.
Under these plans, GPs — who are currently not responsible for paying for hospital referrals — would receive the money instead and pay the hospitals directly.
The change will be compulsory and tens of thousands of administrative jobs in the health service will be lost as a result.
The Coalition believes the new system will return control over treatment to doctors and patients, and GPs will also have to organise out-of-hours services which may see family doctors offering 24-hour care once again.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, has raised serious concerns about putting such a vast sum of money back
However the Daily Telegraph claims Mr Osborne has been assured by the Health Secretary that there will be safeguards in place to ensure GPs do not 'waste' the money.
Mr Lansley believes that if GPs are responsible for their own budgets and have to commission out-of-hours care, most will decide to go back to offering weekend and evening cover themselves or in local groups.
Primary care trusts and strategic health authorities which cover a range of NHS trusts and supervise local NHS services are exerting too much control, he believes.
Under the reforms, primary care trusts will not be
Mr Lansley hopes to have the changes in place by next April, although NHS managers believe that may be over-ambitious.
GPs will probably be made to sign a new contract to make them more accountable, as part of the white paper, and they will work in local groups to commission services.
He will need to secure GPs support for the plans, which may run into opposition.
The plans, which commentators have called 'the most revolutionary in the NHS since 1948' will come as a shock to Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs.
Mr Lansley will point to the joint Tory-Lib Dem document which states: 'We will strengthen the power of GPs as patients’ expert guides through the health system by enabling them to commission care on their behalf.'
The Coalition agreement also vowed to 'stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care'.
The loss of jobs, is also likely to lead to further outcry from public sector trade unions, after the threat of industrial action over plans for severe cuts in the Whitehall workforce.
A source told the Telegraph that anger of Whitehall job cuts had delayed publication of the white paper but that 'In the end, the Prime Minister clearly said to George Osborne that this was not one he should go to war on.'
The last Conservative government tried to give power back to local doctors through GP fund-holding, but the plan was voluntary only.
