More NHS shake-up is the last thing patients and our wallets need  

This week, Coalition Government health secretary Andrew Lansley has announced yet another re-organisation of the NHS in a Government White Paper. Under his proposals the NHS, already weary from years of restructuring under Labour, now faces the prospect of reorganisation on an even bigger scale. GPs - our local family doctors - are likely to be asked to manage a budget of more than £60 billion so that they will have responsibility to commission - essentially to buy in and decide what types of healthcare services are needed for their local communities. At present NHS primary care trusts working across an area about the size of Brighton and Hove undertake this vital function. They have the expertise and professional background to enable them to do it. But no one has really asked GPs if they are able to do it and if they want to do it. Why would they want to practise...