The laws that will govern the future of the NHS have been laid before parliament, outlining increased powers for GPs and placing a clear emphasis on delivering quality services.

Speaking at its launch, health secretary Andrew Lansley said the Health and Social Care Bill created a framework that emphasised “a duty of quality and accountability” for the NHS, focusing on delivering patient results.

“The duty of quality is paramount,” Mr Lansley said. “[GP] consortia will be commissioning on outcomes.”

“This bill is about accountability. Not only will decisions be taken close to patients, but accountability will flow there too,” he added. “What I am looking for is clinical leadership.”

Under the legal changes outlined in the bill, pharmacy services will be commissioned nationally through an independent NHS Commissioning Board, which will also be responsible for quality assurance and drawing up contracts at a local level.

Local health needs will be decided by GP consortia, which will then address them by commissioning services from a range of providers, including pharmacies. Consortia will be required to produce annual commissioning plans to outline how they will improve the quality of healthcare services in their area.

Pharmacies may also be commissioned to provide public health services through health and wellbeing boards.

The new GP functions will come into force from April 2013, with a slow transition of commissioning away from PCTs to the new structure scheduled over the next two years. The move aims to cut more than £5 billion in bureaucracy by 2014-15, and £1.7 billion a year after that, the Department of Health said.

In addition to the savings, Mr Lansley guaranteed support for providers struggling to get services commissioned, pledging the framework would allow bodies to “step in to maintain services” through bailouts.