Councillors will learn about the enormous scale of changes needed to transform the district’s health system at a meeting tomorrow.

Bradford faces a “real challenge” of leaving behind the Primary Care Trust-led model in favour of a structure led by General Practitioners by April, 2013, according to a report.

The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will hear how a new group of clinical experts has been set up in Bradford by the NHS Bradford and Airedale – the GP Commissioning Executive (GPCE).

It is the first phase of work to get GPs actively involved in the commissioning process. The GPCE is a group of elected GPs, including representatives of the four existing alliances of GP practices which separately cover the city centre, Bingley and North Bradford, South and West Bradford, and Airedale and Wharfedale. By April, 2013, each alliance will advise the GPCE about what services are needed in the communities they represent and the committee will decide how best to target the £600m budget inherited from the then defunct PCT.

Dr Chris Harris, of The Ridge Medical Practice, Bradford, has been appointed as chairman of the GPCE. Dr Phil Pue, of Farfield Group Practice, Keighley, is deputy chairman.

Six other members of the committee have been appointed. New bodies, called GP consortia, will evolve from the GCPE to target health services at an even greater local level.

According to the report by Matt Neligan, director of strategy at NHS Bradford and Airedale, the district is well-equipped to make the transformation a success.

He said: “Bradford and Airedale benefits from some exceptional clinical leaders. Investment and opportunity over many years has ensured a wealth of leadership talent within the GP community which is more than capable of rising to the challenge of GP commissioning at any level.”

The changes have been proposed by the coalition Government. Its vision for a major shake-up of the NHS was set out in the NHS White Paper Equality and Excellence: Liberating the NHS last July and aims to free the system of bureaucracy and tick-box targets. Tomorrow’s meeting of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee takes place at City Hall from 4.30pm.

e-mail: ben.barnett @telegraphandargus.co.uk