The Government has revealed proposals for a major shake-up of the NHS system in England.

The NHS White Paper Equality and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, unveiled this week, aims to free the system of bureaucracy and tick-box targets.

It will see the phasing-out of Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts, the bodies which currently hold 80 per cent of the NHS budget, with GPs given much more responsibility for spending the money. A new independent board will be formed to oversee the health service.

In an e-mail to all NHS staff this week, Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley says the objective is straightforward – those responsible for caring for patients should have more control of resources.

But how do local GPs feel about being handed such responsibility?

Dr Andy Withers, GP principal at the Grange Medical Practice in Allerton and chairman of YOR Local Medical Committee Ltd, Bradford and Airedale branch, a body which works to represent and promote the interests of GPs, said the White Paper brought with it huge opportunities for GPs in the district.

However, the downside is that handling big budgets will not be every GP’s cup of tea, he said, meaning support systems would need to be put in place for practices which felt unable to deal with the responsibility.

“GPs in Bradford welcome the opportunity to take on responsibility for commissioning services to improve the health and care of our patients,” he said.

“We welcome the opportunity to work more closely with public health and with the local authority in order to address the significant health inequalities that exist across the Bradford district.

“We have concerns that health inequalities won’t be fully addressed by the White Paper, as so many of health outcomes are socially determined.”

He said the district was well-placed to move forward with well-set-up GP commissioning alliances already in place. However, he said it would take a lot of co-operation between GPs and providers.

“GPs in Bradford already have a strong track record of involvement in commissioning with enthusiastic clinical leaders and good clinical engagement already in place,” he said.

“GPs will need support and encouragement to engage fully in this, as we all have full-time jobs seeing patients. Clearly GPs will need appropriate management support to deliver these changes.

“We will need flexibility from commissioners and providers in order to deliver improved and innovative services.

“We would be keen to protect NHS providers of services and have concerns about the increase in private provision proposed in the White Paper.”

While the White Paper brings opportunities for some, it is also a time of great uncertainty for others.

As reported in the T&A earlier this week, the abolition of NHS Bradford and Airedale could mean the loss of more than 500 health jobs across the district.

Simon Morritt, chief executive of NHS Bradford and Airedale said: “The White Paper was the first step towards the Government’s ambition for the NHS to achieve health outcomes and quality health services that are among the best in the world.

“More documents are expected to be published shortly, seeking views on the details of various aspects of these proposals.

“We will support any consultations that take place during this period of significant change, and we have a vital role to play in working closely with our local GPs, supporting them to establish GP Commissioning Consortia.

“Our work to address health inequalities and to ensure that people in our district have access to the best possible healthcare will continue.

“The White Paper is very clear that the NHS needs to reduce both bureaucracy and management costs. We have already been working towards reducing management costs by 44 per cent within the next two years. At this stage we are unable to comment on any further impact these proposals will have on jobs within our organisation.”