Blair says patients will have to travel further for specialist care

Speaking at the launch of the Primary Care Trust Network, a membership organisation for the 152 primary care trusts in England, he referred to two reports published this week that call for further changes to the health service-this time to emergency heart and stroke services. Earlier at the meeting the health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, announced an end to the top-down management style that has dominated the health service for the past 10 years, with performance targets set by the health department.