How is the NHS changing?
The plans for the future NHS are set out in the Health and Social Care Bill which paves the way for GPs to get control of most of the NHS budget by 2013 to buy in health services for patients. This still needs to be agreed by Parliament but there is a lot to do in a short space of time and so many of the changes have already started to happen.
Another change is the introduction of local health and well being boards, to be run by local councils to oversee the work of the GPs and wider health services, including public health. Blackburn with Darwen has become one of the first places in the country to set up a health and well being board, made up of local councillors, neighbourhood representatives, GPs and health and social care professionals. They meet bi-monthly and members of the public are welcome to attend to hear and take part in their discussions. For more information, visit www.bwd.nhs.uk/board-meetings/health-and-wellbeing-board.
A new consumer organisation called Health Watch will also be set up to give patients more of a say in how services are designed. Blackburn with Darwen has been chosen as a government pathfinder for HealthWatch, which means it will be one of the first places in the country to trial it and other parts of the country will learn from our experience.
Finally, public health – that is all the work done to identify causes of ill health, encourage healthy behaviour and prevent ill health – will no longer be part of the NHS but will become the responsibility of the Council.
Why are these changes happening?
The government believes giving control of the NHS budget to GPs will result in better patient care and choice.
They hope that changing the NHS will also help to meet the challenge of rising costs due to an ageing population and more expensive medicines at a time when there is no extra money to invest.
