During an Oral Statement to Parliament, the Secretary of State for Health announced the publication of white paper entitled ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS ,' which sets out details of how power will be devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals.

In what is the biggest shake-up in the history of the NHS the Government have stated that professional will now be free to focus on improving health outcomes and patients will be given more choice and control.

Setting out a commitment to see services are more responsive to patients, a Department of Health statement outlines how services will be designed around patients rather than patients having to fit around services.

‘People voted for change and the Coalition Agreement set out a bold and exciting vision for the future of the NHS - a vision based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility.

The Government's ambition is for health outcomes - and quality services - that are among the best in the world.  We have in our sights a unique combination of equity and excellence,' Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said.

The 61 page document is part of an extensive consultation, which will be taking place over the coming weeks.

Shift power to GPs 

These changes set out the shift in power to GPs who will be expected to take charge of NHS budgets including the commissioning of mental health services.

The move will lead to the abolition of all 10 strategic health authorities and the 152 primary care trusts.   In its place will be a new structure that will be held accountable by an independent NHS board which the government say will be politically autonomous.

While welcoming the reforms that could lead to a change in the way black mental health services users are treated by the system, health campaigners from the community warn that there will need to be a skilling up of GPs before they will be properly equipped to take on the additional commissioning role.

‘This might be the opportunity for something positive to come about with this wholesale change.

GPs will definitely need to be skilled up to fulfil this new role and other services that we have not seen at our local surgeries like advocacy support will need to be incorporated into what is currently available if this transition is going to provide the support and health care that is needed.

At the present time we know that many GPs will say that they don't have the expertise to commission the services needed to ensure the mental health needs of their constitutents are adequately met.

Before this is properly rolled out those responsible for commissioning services will need to be trained and there also needs to be clear lines of accountability,' health campaigners Rev Paul Grey of New Testament Church of God told Black Mental Health UK.

Research show GPs need to be skilled up in commissioning 

New research by the charity Rethink has revealed that GPs currently do not have the necessary expertise for this new mental health role, with just 1 in 3 stating that they were reading to take on this new responsibility.

The study, published to coincides with Lansley announcement show that only 31% of the nations GPs feel equipped to take on the role of commissioning secondary services for mental health.

This compares with three quarters of GPs who say that they can take on responsibility for diabetes and asthma services. 

The charity say that unless there is a national plan to ‘up-skill' GPs in mental health then many o fthe 1.5 million people with sever metnal health illness may fail to get the treatment that they need.

Rethinks research shows that over 1.5 million people in the UK with severe mental illness like schizophrenia, and severe depression re not getting the cost-effective, evidenced based treatment that they need.

As a result people will severe mental illness die up to ten years younger than the rest of the population from a range of conditions including preventable physical illnesses.  Research shows that this group also end up in prison or homeless, because they have not received cost effective treatments which could have prevented this.

Hope reforms lead to improvement in service users experience

‘The role of GPs could reduce the number of people being referred to mental health service via the police , we know that previously when people have gone to the GPs they have not had the support that they needed and so have ended up sectioned and  in a police cell because they condition deteriorated to such a state.

There needs to be training on cultural issues and the need for culturally appropriate provision.  Coaches and mentors who are liked to or whose services are commissioned by GPs could revolutionise services.  GPs could have a role in reviewing the amount of medication that people are on as this is costing the NHS millions,' Grey said.

Data shows that people from Britain's African Caribbean communities continue to be detained under the mental health act in far greater numbers than their white counterparts, despite having similar rates of mental ill health as any other ethnic group. Experts from the community agree that that reform is needed and say that this radical overhaul of how services are commissioned offers a golden opportunity to reduce deaths and improve recovery rates.

This would be measured by seeing measurable reduction in unexplained deaths, reducing the suicide and deaths from physical conditions, cutting emergency admission and shortening the duration of untreated psychosis.

Improvement would also need to be seen in increasing the information that carers have to support them, improving employment rates, improving crisis care and a reduction in the use of police cells as a place of safety for people sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

With the new coalition government appearing to give GPs access to NHS coffers, the hope in the hearts of many in the community is that they will be able to send these resources wisely.

Today's White Paper is the start of an extensive consultation that will take place over the coming weeks.  The Department of Health will shortly be publishing a number of consultation documents to seek views on more detailed proposals.

Copies of the Oral Statement and the White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' are available from the Department of Health Media Centre on 020 7210 5221 and at www.dh.gov.uk/liberatingthenhs