The Health White Paper: Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS, published in July 2010, is clear there will be a fundamental shift in responsibilities and budgets for commissioning NHS healthcare and services. GPs working in groups to be known as consortia - will now lead the commissioning of most healthcare services across England. Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities will be abolished and the ambition is for the new GP consortia to be the statutory bodies accountable for commissioning from April 2013.

Whilst many GPs do have experience of commissioning, their skills and capabilities will need to grow, be supported and developed to enable them to take on their new delegated responsibilities. This will include increasing awareness of the range of information which can influence commissioning decisions, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders (including patients, the wider public, local authorities and NHS and private providers of healthcare), developing plans for consortia and working to achieve authorisation as a statutory body.

The NHS in London is committed to supporting GPs through this journey to become authorised GP consortia by April 2013. To provide this support NHS London is working with GPs, sectors and PCTs to establish a regional development programme for GP consortia in London.

Full information on London's GP development programme is available here: London GP consortia development programme (.pdf)

There is a national pathfinder programme, announced by the Secretary of State at the National Association of Primary Care conference on 21 October to support those GPs who are ready to press ahead with commissioning care for patients. London's GP consortia development programme has been designed to align with this national pathfinder programme.

Latest update:Clinical groups in London sign up for new support to commission NHS care