Proposals for a trial marriage between primary and secondary health care in one or two districts in Inner London.

A plea is made for an experiment in unified health care in one or two of the new district health authorities in Inner London. The essence of the proposal is that district health authorities should hold the contracts of independent contractors, that the independence and entitlements of the contractors should be preserved, but that the district health authorities should manage a unified budget. This could bring many potential and actual advantages. Administrative problems would not be insuperable. If the scheme was successful it could be gradually extended; if unsuccessful it could be wound up without serious consequences.