A new Government White Paper outlines dramatic changes that will soon take place within the NHS. A central feature of the paper is the simplification of the service's structure: Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts will be abolished and control of provision of services and the health budget will be transferred to local consortia of GPs.

The Paper also addresses the provision of care by the NHS: a shift from central to local control facilitates a more patient-led system, and appraisal of services by patients will be included in a reformed Outcomes Framework. Furthermore, relaxation of financial regulations on NHS trusts will encourage 'social enterprise'.

Full BBC News article

White Paper - Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS