The enthusiasm of family doctors for taking a leading role in commissioning health services under the proposed NHS reforms is evaporating, claim peers.

In addition, the government’s listening exercise earlier this year to reconsider its proposed reforms has only helped to confuse the public over who is really in charge of and accountable for commissioning NHS services in the future, the peers heard during a debate in the House of Lords on 15 September.

The debate concerned the recommendations of the NHS Future Forum, the panel of experts appointed by the government to lead the listening exercise, which reported back in June on how the Health and Social Care Bill should be revised (BMJ 2011;342:d3777, doi:10.1136/bmj.d3777). …