MORE than 100 GPs attended an event at Burnley Football Club to discuss how they will tackle being in charge of NHS budgets.

GPs consortiums will be responsible for buying in hospital and community services for patients, a job currently carried out by primary care trusts, by 2013.

NHS East Lancashire hosted the event to help GPs understand its role.

Dr Sohail Bhatti, the trust’s interim director of public health, spoke about its SMYL (Save a Million Years of Life) campaign.

Dr Fiona Ford, a GP senior lecturer at Richmond Medical Centre, Accrington, said: “GPs rarely have the chance to look at local health data and compare their own practice with others.

“It was an exciting afternoon, and we are looking forward to working together to improve health.”