British Medical Association GPs committee chair Laurence Buckman has attacked primary care trusts and strategic health authorities for attempting to control the creation of fledgling GP consortia.

Speaking after the committee’s most recent meeting last week, Dr Buckman criticised managers for “trying to tell consortia what to do” about their size and function.

Although Dr Buckman refused to name any organisations, he said doctors had reported some PCTs and SHAs had told pathfinder consortia what population they should be covering and what their commissioning duties should consist of.

He said: “That is not OK. It is not OK to tell these fledgling consortia what to do even before the legislation has been passed. It is for Parliament to decide these things, I hope guided by us, the doctors who have to deliver it.”

Dr Buckman added: “I will be telling GPs that where they have been given a list of instructions from PCTs that they have absolutely no requirement to follow it. At this moment it is up to GPs on the ground to decide how these consortia are formed and what they should be doing.”

HSJ’s conference Information for GP Led Commissioning is in London on 1 December.

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