GWENT'S five Local Health Boards want to explore the possibility of providing some community health services in their areas, currently provided by Gwent Healthcare Trust.

The LHBs - Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Monmouthshire - expressed an interest in the idea after First Minister Rhodri Morgan gave his blessing to Wales-wide proposals late last year.

Any proposals that are drawn up for Gwent would have to be approved by the new health and social services minister Dr Brian Gibbons. But the idea came out of Mr Morgan's announcements on reform of Wales's quangos, and might well lead to changes in the way such services are provided.

The change of provider would have to benefit patients, but LHBs across Wales have voiced the opinion before now, that provision of community services might be something they would be willing to take on.

Gwent LHB and trust bosses will meet soon to discuss the issues involved in a switch. The trust currently provides a range of community services including health visiting and community midwives across the five LHB areas.

If LHBs, which commission health services, were to take over, providing a more local focus dependent on the needs of the areas they serve, it would signal a partial breaking down of the Tory-inspired purchaser/provider split which has governed the running of the NHS since 1990.

Consideration was given to the idea that LHBs run community services when they were set up to replace Wales's health authorities two years ago, but the Assembly considered they would have enough work to do in establishing themselves without taking on this extra function then.

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