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  • Government signals integration “experiments”
  • CCG gives councillors leading role
  • Carter criticises pace of pathology reform

2.05pm: Meanwhile, North East Lincolnshire CCG has developed a novel governance structure to sidestep government regulations preventing councillors from sitting on its board, so it can take on an adult social care budget.

2.02pm: The same story covers the fact that another health minister has refused to reveal key details of national assessment centre for potential CCG leaders, in response to a Parliamentary question.

1.58pm: We have reported health minister Lord Howe’s attempt to defend the fact that fewer than a quarter of clinical commissioning groups will have a GP as their accountable officer, as previously revealed by HSJ.

1.41pm HSJ reporter David Williams tweets: “so far there are 5 comments on my Norman Lamb/integration story. all highly positive. have HSJ readers gone soft?”

He’s talking about this story, in which health minister Norman Lamb exclusively tells HSJ he wants to support a series of large-scale integrated care “experiments”. These could involve capitated budgets, and the assurance that Monitor won’t break them up on anti-competitive grounds.

11.47am The new National Health Action party has unveiled a list of target seats where it intends to stand at the next general election. It intends standing against figures including David Cameron, Andrew Lansley and David Laws.

11.45am The man who led a national review of pathology services, Lord Carter, laments the slow pace of service reform and questions whether a recent high-profile laboratory blunder could have been avoided had consolidation happened sooner.

10.06am HSJ this morning reveals how a clinical commissioning group has developed a novel governance structure, with many powers delegated to a sub-committee,so that councillors can still play a lead role in its governance.

9.40am: From earlier this week, how trusts lose ground in online marketing race to promote competition

9.37am The government plans to introduce payment by results to mental health services from April 2013. To start, payment will be made on the basis of activity but eventually service providers’ income will be linked to clinical outcomes.