| GP Commissioning is a revolutionary new proposal | | | | funds allocated to the NHS. |
| which the UK coalition government has introduced in | | | | The White paper therefore proposes to change all |
| the 2010 Health White Paper. For a long time now, the | | | | that by requiring that all GPs commission health |
| NHS has been described as a monolithic state | | | | services and be held directly responsible for budgets |
| bureaucracy that has done little to improve healthcare | | | | for those health services. This form of commissioning |
| in the UK. | | | | seeks to transfer the management and responsibilities |
| Past Failures | | | | of health services from hospitals to groups of |
| And increased funding into the sector has not | | | | practices or consortia. |
| translated into better service delivery. The General | | | | Rise of the buying consortia |
| Practitioners (GPs), who ultimately deal with patients at | | | | These consortia will receive budgetary allocations from |
| the beginning and end of their experiernce with the | | | | a new NHS Commissioning Board that is both |
| NHS, have not been directly involved in the budgetary | | | | autonomous and accountable. This board will be |
| planning and decision making in the health sector. | | | | responsible for managing and allocating about |
| This is the reason why Andrew Lansley, the | | | | £80billion of the Health sector budget. The consortia |
| Secretary of Health, proposes drastic changes that | | | | will, in turn devolve the funds to the various practices |
| seek to both empower the GPs to have a more direct | | | | under them. |
| and active role in health management, and offer better | | | | Checks and Balances |
| health to the patients. | | | | It will also be easy to keep track of any GP |
| What, then, is GP Commissioning? | | | | malpractices and have the new NHS Commissioning |
| Otherwise known as Practice Based Commissioning. It | | | | Board take appropriate action on them through the |
| is a proposal contained in a bill known as the 'NHS | | | | consortia, rather than have the government doing so |
| White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the | | | | and consequently incurring additional costs from it. |
| NHS, 2010'. This White Paper outlines the government's | | | | Criticism |
| vision to streamline the health sector in the UK over | | | | The idea of GP Commissioning is seen by many as a |
| the next few years. | | | | step in the right direction for the UK healthcare sector. |
| Aims | | | | There have been, however, a number of concerns in |
| It aims to improve the quality of service delivery | | | | terms of implementation. Most critics of the White |
| through empowering GPs to be more involved in the | | | | Paper feel that sudden implementation of the |
| management process of the NHS. It also aims to bring | | | | proposed changes is too radical. They opt to see the |
| patients into the centre of service delivery by making | | | | changes effected gradually. |
| them the focus of all that the NHS does. | | | | Wait and see |
| How | | | | Only time will tell, though, on how effective the NHS |
| The government intends to achieve this by primarily | | | | White Paper will be, if and when, adopted by |
| devolving the NHS commissioning powers and | | | | parliament. However, there is consensus on the fact |
| responsibility into the hands of GPs. The current | | | | that the NHS needs urgent reforms and maybe, this |
| Practice Based Commissioning, which is GP | | | | proposed policy of GP Commissioning is the way to |
| commissioning operating without any real budget or | | | | go for Britain's healthcare. |
| responsibilities, does not efficiently use the scarce | | | | |