Time to reduce number of health authorities contracts
by two years
Government plans to reduce the number of health authorities
to 30 are being accelerated. When the announcement was made on 25 April
2001, two thirds of HAs were expected to be reconfigured by 2004. But
Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, speaking at the annual conference
of the NHS Confederation on 6 July in Birmingham stated that the process
should be completed next year.
Talking about the need to slim the tiers of management
he said: “It means by April next year abolishing the existing 95 health
authorities. It means introducing a reduced number — of around 30 — more
strategic health authorities.”
This new timetable will have implications for the
Pharmacy Services Negotiating Committee which has to ensure that local
pharmaceutical committees are also reconfigured to mirror the new HAs.
Steven Axon, outgoing PSNC general secretary, told
The Journal that the committee was to discuss the issue at this
week’s meeting and plan how next year’s PSNC election would reflect the
new order.
Mr Milburn also announced in his speech that negotiations
on new contracts for GPs would no longer be conducted between the Department
of Health and the General Practitioners Committee. Instead the DoH role
will be taken over by the NHS Confederation.
Mr Axon said that this move would not affect negotiations
between the PSNC and the DoH.
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