Health Secretary Alan Milburn was today unveiling proposals to slash NHS red tape.

The radical overhaul is designed to free up cash for frontline health services.

Proposals also include cutting the number of health authorities in England from 99 to 30 by 2004, and abolishing the 10 regional health executives by the end of the next Parliament.

The money used by the authorities to buy services will then be passed down to the frontline primary care trusts - made up of doctors, nurses and other health care workers.

By 2004, the trusts will control 75 per cent of an NHS budget worth a total of £57 billion.

Mr Milburn said: "The reduction in bureaucracy is designed to give more control to primary care groups to purchase services from local NHS trusts.

"In too many cases, the local health authorities have been refusing to let go of the purse strings, and in some cases they have refused to let go of the contents of the purses.

"Not surprisingly, some doctors and nurses have felt disempowered by that process. That cannot go on."

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Updated: 11.53 Wednesday, April 25