London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×