LEADING medical professionals in the North East have criticised a radical Government shake-up of the NHS, claiming the controversial plans could severely compromise patient care.

Their blistering attack comes as the Health and Social Care Bill gets its second reading before Parliament later today.

In a stinging rebuke, the letter, provided exclusively to The Journal and signed by senior consultants and doctors, reveals:

They have major concerns about aspects of the health Bill which will introduce enforced competition in the NHS;

They fear large commercial, profit-driven companies will enter the NHS and health services that are not deemed as profitable will be ignored;

Standards of patient care could be hit if training and education of junior doctors does not remain nationally-led;

Hospitals are not being given enough time to become Foundation Trusts, meaning too much emphasis could be placed on finance at the expense of patient care.

The concerns come from GP, consultant and associate medical specialist representatives in Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Northumberland, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

Under the Health and Social Care Bill, published earlier this month, GPs will be handed power over commissioning treatment worth £80bn. Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), which currently commission services, will be abolished by 2013.

A new independent NHS Commissioning Board will decide the overall budget and oversee the reformed service.