Published: 20/10/2005 Volume 115 No. 5978 Page 9

County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority has submitted proposals for countywide primary care trusts - ignoring fierce opposition from Alan Milburn. The former health secretary dubbed the plans 'bungled' and 'ludicrous'.

The SHA this week submitted proposals to the Department of Health to scrap Darlington PCT, which is co-terminous with the unitary authority Darlington borough council, in order to make it part of a countywide organisation.

But Darlington MP Mr Milburn, who was the health secretary responsible for the birth of PCTs, described the SHA's proposals as a 'ludicrous, bungled and ill-thoughtthrough plan'. He made the comments to the Northern Echo.

The New Labour stalwart vowed to 'fight [the proposals] all the way, ' adding that the SHA 'has no case for stripping Darlington of financial control over its health services.' However, the SHA has defended its decision to press ahead with proposals to create two PCTs for the area, arguing that replacing the existing 10 is the 'safest' and most 'effective' way to deliver the savings being demanded by the government.

The SHA also argued that retaining existing PCT numbers will not allow the health economy to succeed in meeting its 'over-arching criterion' for attracting 'the best leadership'.

'We acknowledge that there is support for [retaining the current number] among our local authority partners, but we are not persuaded that.... this approach will be sufficient to genuinely lead the further transformation of the NHS, ' the SHA wrote in its DoH submission.

Darlington PCT chief executive Colin Morris told HSJ his organisation had 'attempted' to reassure the council that a 'commitment to local needs' would remain within the reorganisation through the appointment of 'locality directors'.

However, Darlington council director of community services Cliff Brown said the authority would continue to 'oppose' the SHA's plans. 'In our experience It is much harder to work on joined-up services when you move away from coterminosity, ' he said.