Tories will put GPs in charge of commissioning services for patients

GPs will hold the personal budgets of patients and commission services on their behalf under Conservative health plans in their draft election manifesto.

Speaking at the King’s Fund shadow health minister, Stephen O’Brien, said that GPs will be given the power to hold real cash budgets with which to commission care and their pay will be linked to the quality of the results they deliver. They will need to be trained to commission services when that responsibility is passed to them, he said.

The proposal is part of Tory plans to make the NHS more “locally driven” and “patient centred” giving people more responsibility over their health. Part of this move would mean that clinical need would determine funding flows.

“Politically motivated” …