The government’s Health Bill resumes its Parliamentary journey in the House of Lords on 13 October.
As the first major piece of NHS-related legislation since the Health and Care Act in 2022, the new Bill is bound to face close scrutiny from peers. It will abolish NHS England, establish the Single Patient Record and introduce other controversial measures, including the abolition of the patients’ watchdog Healthwatch.
Each of these proposals attracted considerable attention during the Commons stages of the Bill. But potentially the most significant, and worrying, aspect of the legislation has so far received little attention.
Since former Conservative minister Andrew Lansley’s disastrous Health and Social Care Act in 2012, the NHS has been moving towards greater system working, in which the key players within the local NHS are encouraged to prioritise collaboration and service integration. It has meant moving away from market-focused reforms that fragmented service delivery, destabilised the workforce and cost billions.
Unfortunately, in seeking to implement key aspects of the NHS 10 Year Plan, the current Bill threatens to reverse this progress and return to a time of greater contestability, with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) becoming “strategic commissioners”.
Full article in The Lowdown, 11 October 2026
