CALDERDALE has announced the GP group which will take over the running of the NHS from its health trust.
The move will be watched keenly by NHS Kirklees, which says it will release information about the organisation which will replace it in April.
The changes will come as part of the biggest upheaval in the history of the NHS, ushered in by the coalition government.
Under their White Paper, Liberating the NHS, plans were put forward for Primary Care Trusts to be scrapped and replaced by local doctors who would band together to form consortia.
It means GPs across the country will be handed £80bn of NHS cash to commission the services which provide your health care, from coughs and sneezes to major operations.
NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has now revealed that the “Calderdale Commissioning Consortia” will comprise 28 practices serving a population of 212,633.
It is forming part of the second wave of “pathfinder” groups, the first of which were announced in December.
The groups of GPs will work together to manage their local budgets and commission services for patients directly with other NHS colleagues and local authorities.
Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley said: “If we want better results for patients and a more efficient NHS, then we must devolve power to General Practices.
“This second group of selected pathfinders is welcome evidence of widespread enthusiasm for taking these ideas forward.
“It is clear that GPs and nurses are ready and willing to take on commissioning responsibilities, the pathfinders to date demonstrate this but most importantly, the changes will enable them to make the decisions that better meet the needs of their local communities and improve outcomes for their patients.”
The Calderdale group will be among those testing out the new arrangements before GP consortia take on their new responsibilities from April 2013.
