The White Paper

The White Paper ‘Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS’,  outlines the Government’s proposals for the future of the NHS in England. 

Since it was launched in July four consultations providing more detail have been published:

• Transparency in outcomes – a framework for the NHS
• Increasing democratic legitimacy in health
• Commissioning for patients
• Regulating healthcare providers

While adopting a position of ‘critical engagement’ on the White Paper, the BMA has raised concerns about the elements that emphasise a continued role for market forces.    One proposal is to abolish the cap on the amount of income foundation trusts may earn from other sources (e.g. private patients), and the paper continues to advocate an ‘any willing provider’ model.

 For more information and to feed your views to the BMA, click here.