Liberating the NHS: a brave new world, or litigation nightmare?

The coalition Government, in its White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS and in the subsequent paper Liberating the NHS: the new Legislative Framework has advanced its proposals for NHS restructuring. These proposals are intended to provide much enhanced roles for GPs in relation to the commissioning of NHS services in the future. This article explores these proposals and considers whether they can be seen as a return to the 1990s and the approach of the NHS Community Care Act 1990. It also explores the nature of these greater responsibilities and some of the problems that this may give rise to in the future.