ABSTRACT
Mrs Edith Korner, vice-chair of the South Western Regional Health Authority, was appointed as chair. In 1975, Prime Minister Harold Wilson set up a Royal Commission to consider the best use and management of the financial and staff resources of the National Health Service (NHS). It reported in July 1979 to a Conservative government that accepted the larger part of the 117 recommendations. The restructuring of 1982 adopted the key recommendation to abolish area health authorities (AHAs). The new structure was to comprise 14 regional health authorities (RHAs), 192 district health authorities (DHAs) and 90 separate family practitioner committees (FPCs). The steering group focused on information for health service management. The work done by the steering group was informed by the clear vision developed by its chair. Rarely can a national group reforming the NHS have had such a simple sustainable vision; one that is as relevant to today's health economies as it was to the DHAs of the 1980s.
