DOCTORS in Cumbria have hit back at criticism from MPs of Government plans to give them control of health services in the UK.

Cumbria has spearheaded the national move – with GPs already in charge of two-thirds of the county’s £850 million health budget.

And one of the county’s eight lead doctors believes Cumbria is already reaping the rewards of the new system.

Under health reforms announced by Government this week, primary care trusts are expected to be disbanded in 2013, when GPs will receive a set budget each year for management support costs.

But the Commons Health Committee has criticised the ‘significant policy shift’ of scrapping the trusts and passing control of budgets to GPs – and warned that the NHS had not been able to plan for the reform.

Ambleside’s Dr Andrew Rotheray, who is on the board of the Westmorland Primary Care Collaborative, which is made up of the 21 GP practices in charge of the £85 million budget for South Lakeland, said: “The Government’s decision sits well with something we have been doing across Cumbria over the past four years.

“GPs in the county have already developed a leading role within the PCT in deciding how and where services should be commissioned best for patiensts.

“This has led to the Cumbria Clinical Senate being set up, which consists of six lead GP’s from each of the Cumbrian localities.

“Working together, we have taken charge of two thirds of the budget and we expect that to increase further next financial year.

“This has worked in Cumbria due to clinical interest and was developed as a local decision.

"Hopefully, through telling other authorities how we arrived at this point, it will help them see it can work.”

Under the plans, PCTs and 10 regional health authorities will be scrapped, leaving GPs in charge of health services.

NHS Cumbria will continue to provide support services to GPs until it is eventually disbanded.