Government says GPs can outsource commissioning to private companies

GPs have been told they can outsource commissioning to other organisations, including private companies, and are not expected to become managers under proposals contained in the health white paper.

Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health, told the Daily Telegraph: 'We are not going to be prescriptive about this at all. Consortia cannot just task anyone to commission services, they will have to be a fit and proper person or body.

'But we want consortia to have the freedom to arrange themselves how they wish and get support from whom they choose. All consortia will need to be well managed and we are not asking doctors to become managers.'

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7903264/GPs-could-hand-billions-of-NHS-funds-to-private-companies-to-manage.html