East Lancs health union slams Government NHS reforms

Today Prime Minister David Cameron said the Government could not afford to delay getting rid of 'waste and bureaucracy' - and now 150 primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are to be scrapped by April 2013.

At present, funds are given by the Government to NHS Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus and NHS East Lancashire, which pay for patients from their area to be treated, either at surgeries or in hospital.

But now GPs known as GP commissioners, overseen by commissioning boards and the economic regulator Monitor, will receive the money instead, budget, plan and pay it directly.

Tim Ellis, UNISON regional officer for East Lancashire, said it was effectively the beginning of wide-spread privatisation.

He said: “GPs have got to accept private providers as well as public, so it's a tender approach.

“Some hospitals won't get these services to deliver, and they will potentially become non-viable.

“They will set up a system where other companies will provide health services based on a cost criteria. It's theoretically the end of the NHS.”

Five GP commissioning groups will be set up for Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and Rossendale, and one in Blackburn with Darwen, by April 2011.

Dr Paul Lambden, of the Pendle Valley Mill practice, is on the steering group for Pendle's new GP consortium.

And he is also part of East Lancashire's first social enterprise, a new group of four GP practices that will look after around 21,000 patients in Pendle and Accrington.

He said many GPs were excited by the opportunity.

Dr Lambden added: “When you talk about tariffs, and concerns about patient care and costs being the priority, we have to make sure that doesn't happen.

“GPs can monitor the quality of patient care better than anyone.”

Nationally six health services unions have opposed the plans, saying they fear the introduction of competition will lead to cost-based decisions, rather than quality.