| Monday 12 July 2010 at 10.30pm on BBC Two Presented by Kirsty Wark Your life in their hands... tonight imagine Newsnight is a big operating theatre where we will examine the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley's plans to put GPs in charge of at least £70 billion of expenditure instead of local mangers working for Primary Healthcare Trusts in England. The government wants consortia of general practitioners to work out the pattern of hospitals, GPs' mental health units and community clinics in a given area, and who should be involved - including BUPA or Marie Curie Cancer care services for example. There are plans too, for an independent board to oversee the Health Service. There are many questions - what happens if budgets fall short? Will some services simply not be offered? Are GPs really in the best position to know which consultants offer the best services? Are patients going to weigh up consultants' mortality rates - will they be calibrated? Could a group of culturally or religiously aligned doctors get together and deliberately not offer services such as family planning? Andrew Lansley will be in the Newsnight studio as will GPs, consultants, primary healthcare providers, nurses and academics. Viva Espana. First Rafa Nadal wins Wimbledon, now Spain wins the World Cup. Paul Mason has been taking in the atmosphere in Barcelona today and asking whether this new confidence will spill over to the ailing economy. Do join me at 10.30pm on BBC Two. |