GPs across Bradford are set to make decisions about the way health services are delivered and paid for in their area as part of a massive Government overhaul of the NHS.

They have signed up to the health reforms that critics claim will lead to the privatisation of the NHS via the back door.

The Government is abolishing Primary Care Trusts, with £80bn of care transferred to groups of family doctors from 2013, with town halls taking responsibility for public health work.

Ministers say GPs are best placed to understand patients’ needs and to decide where money should be spent.

Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday announced the second wave of consortias, including four new groups in the district – Airedale Wharfedale and Craven, Citycare, South and West Bradford and Bingley and North.

The four groups will cover 86 GP practices and 585,323 patients.

Mr Cameron said the reforms will make “net savings” within two years, improve services and mean local priorities are put first, but the heads of six health unions have raised “extreme concerns” about the changes, arguing they will lead to commercial competition between the NHS and private companies.

Head of the British Medical Association Hamish Meldrum and Royal College of Nurses’ chief executive Peter Carter joined with the heads of health for the Unison and Unite unions in writing a letter stating: “There is clear evidence that price competition in healthcare is damaging.”

Critics also insist it will lead to privatisation as GPs will end up outsourcing the work. But the Prime Minister hit back saying: “I think we’ve just got to try to elevate the national debate a little.

“The idea that all these changes amount to privatisation is simply not true. ”

Shadow Health Secretary John Healey said: “The NHS is another big broken promise from David Cameron.

“He made the personal pledge to ‘protect the NHS’ and his Coalition Agreement could not have been clearer in saying ‘we will stop the top-down internal reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care’.

“Strong criticism from NHS experts, professional bodies and patient groups shows that those who know the health service best fear the Government will force competition, price wars and privatisation on the NHS at the expense of good patient care.

“The more NHS staff organisations see of the Tory-led plans, the harder they find it to say something in support.”

Dr Chris Harris, chairman of Bradford and Airedale’s GP commissioning executive, said: “We welcome the news that we have been successful in becoming part of the GP pathfinder programme.

“We are looking forward to continuing the work we have already started on transforming the commissioning of health services in Bradford and Airedale.”