At long last we are hearing some good news. The coalition is backing the UKIP policy to get rid of the 150 primary care trusts and strategic health authorities that are the biggest causes of waste in the NHS.

At present, funds are given by the Government to primary care trusts, which pay for patients from their area to be treated in hospital.

Under the new plans, GPs — who are currently not responsible for paying for hospital referrals — would receive the money instead and pay the hospitals directly and, what is more, the change will be compulsory.

There are, of course, concerns about putting so much money (£60-£80bn) in the hands of GPs, but hopefully the new system will be less bureaucratic and give doctors and patients more control over treatment. GPs will also have to organise out-of-hours services, which may see family doctors offering 24-hour care once again.

The welcome loss of wasteful bureaucrat’s job , could well run into tens of thousands and is also likely to lead to outcry from public sector trade unions, who seem not to have realised that overspending is not an option.