Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

NHS privatisation to be reined in under secret plan to reform care

NHS privatisation to be reined in under secret plan to reform care

Proposal expected to feature in Queen’s speech after spending on private firms passes £9bn

Privatisation of NHS care will be significantly curbed under confidential plans that health service bosses expect Downing Street to include in the Queen’s speech next month.

Local NHS bodies in England would no longer have to put out to tender any contract worth at least £615,278. That requirement has contributed to a big increase in outsourcing of services and a record £9.2bn of the NHS’s budget now being handed to private firms.

Under NHS England’s proposals, Boris Johnson would have to scrap key elements of Andrew Lansley’s shake-up of the NHS in England in 2012, which bitterly divided the then coalition government.

The Guardian has obtained an NHS England document which summarises 22 key changes it believes will be included in an NHS reform bill due to be published next month.

A twin-pronged attempt to severely restrict future privatisation would involve scrapping section 75 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and removing the commissioning of healthcare services from the remit of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The proposals also seek to limit the role of competition between different parts of the NHS, which critics claim has proved costly, damaging and a distraction from caring for patients.

The proposals are likely to gain government backing because NHS England was asked to draw them up by Theresa May when she was prime minister, in order to allow changes in how the health service operates to go ahead as part of its ambition under the long-term plan to integrate care.

“This is long overdue. These proposals would protect the NHS from the worst excesses of privatisation and end the situation where different parts of the health service have had to compete against each other,” said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the union Unison.

“Our precious NHS needs to be in the best possible state so it’s protected when the UK leaves the EU, whether it’s with or without a deal. It must be able to fend off the circling vultures who would see it torn up in pursuit of profit.”

Section 75 of the 2012 act led to NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) tendering thousands of mainly small-value contracts, 40% of which were won by private firms. That led to an increased fragmentation of NHS care, with profit-driven companies taking over key types of diagnostic and treatment services.

The plans are likely to become public at NHS England’s board meeting on Thursday.

Dr Tony O’Sullivan, the co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public and a retired paediatrician, backed the repeal of section 75. “Some of the most controversial clauses have led to the carve-up of the NHS into contracts and a competitive market.”

But the bill should go further and outlaw all privatisation of any clinical services and reinstate the NHS as the sole provider of its own array of services, he added.

NHS England’s controversial attempt to take PET-CT cancer scanning services in the Thames Valley away from the Oxford University Hospitals NHS trust and hand them to the firm InHealth showed that it could not be trusted, he suggested. The plan caused an outcry and NHS England was forced to back down.

In a break with normal procedure NHS England officials, led by its national director of strategy Ian Dodge, have drafted the bill, rather than the Department of Health and Social Care.

It will also include proposals to:

• Allow the creation of a new type of NHS trust, called “integrated care providers”.

• Let NHS England and NHS Improvement, the service’s financial regulator, extend their already close working relationship into a full, legal merger.

• End the Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the NHS, which could lead to more NHS trusts merging.

The cross-party Commons health and social care select committee has already given its backing to NHS England’s proposed legislative changes.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×