GP commissioning: will it save money and raise standards of care?

摘要

The controversial Health and Social Care Act, passed a few weeks ago, will trigger the most radical re-organisation of the NHS that we have ever experienced. With the abolition of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, and the creation of new bodies and governance arrangements, the responsibility for a budget of between european dollar 60-80 billion will pass to GP-led clinical commissioning groups, (CCGs) who will have the unenviable task of tackling variations in standards of care and reducing health inequalities while attempting to save as much as european dollar 20 billion over the next 5 years. We asked a number of experts and health service leaders to look into their crystal balls and say whether they think that these challenging aspirations can be achieved.