In its latest report on GP commissioning, the BMA warns that PCTs must be retained until consortia are fully operational.

The document is released ahead of Wednesday’s NHS Operating Framework, which is expected to outline many of the statutory duties that consortia will be expected to perform.

Shaping Change, part of the BMA’s response to the White Paper consultation, warns there is still 'a real risk of PCT implosion or, at the very least, instability,' as power shifts from trusts to nascent consortia.

The report also calls for legislation to ensure GPs make up the majority of all consortium boards, and for LMCs to be given a statutory role within the new NHS framework.

‘To secure the long-term future of NHS commissioning, LMCs should have a role that is both complementary to, but which may be critical of, consortia, allowing them to support consortia where possible, but also to make sure the viewpoint of their members is heard.

‘The NHS Commissioning Board and consortia should have a duty to recognise and consult with LMCs,’ the report says.

All new quality indicators for NHS providers must be 'fair, achievable and not be politically-motivated,' it says.

The DoH's full response to the White Paper consultation and The Operating Framework are due to be published on Wednesday.

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