"The government promised on Friday that its planned reform of the National Health Service (NHS), which would see the creation of large health centres, would benefit patients and be driven by clinical needs not cash concerns.
Five pledges on the future of local health care, announced by Health Minister Lord Darzi, a former leading surgeon, were given a cautious welcome by doctors. But they repeated concern that the changes will endanger GP practices.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown brought Darzi into the government last year and gave him the task of producing a blueprint for the future of the NHS.
He will deliver a final report in the summer to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the service.
However, Darzi has already said the future of patient care is in large local centres or "polyclinics" where GPs, nurses and specialists would be grouped together, spelling the end of a single doctor working alone in a practice.
He has already proposed a network of 150 such polyclinics for London. "Our nationwide listening events have shown me that patients, the public and NHS staff are not opposed to change in principle but want to ensure it is done to save lives and improve quality and is not driven by cost or politics," he said.
"This is not about change for change's sake."
The five government promises are that:
- Change will always be for patient benefit
- Change will be clinically driven
- All change will be locally led, as different places will have different needs requiring different solutions
- Patients, carers, and key partners will have their say
- Existing services will not be withdrawn until new and better services are in place.
Dr. Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the doctor's body the British Medical Association, said the promises required details.
"These principles are all positive - in fact they're impossible to disagree with," he said. "The problem is that the public and healthcare staff alike have yet to see much evidence of these principles being delivered up to now."
The promises come a day after the BMA launched a "Support your Surgery" campaign over doctors' fears that the government plans to introduce more commercial providers into GP practices.
The BMA said there are fears that the drive for polyclinics will see private commercial companies running new centres, concerned more about shareholders than patients."
