Government backtracks on competition

Published: 05 March 2013

The Royal College of Nursing today welcomed the announcement by Health Minister, Norman Lamb MP, that the section 75 regulations to the Health and Social Care Act will be withdrawn and amended.

The regulations accompany sections of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 that deal with competition within the NHS. They set the parameters for when clinical commissioning groups would have to go out to competitive tender for NHS services in their area.

The RCN was concerned that the parameters were set too wide and would force commissioners to encourage much wider competition between providers than is right for patient care.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said: “We are pleased to see that these worrying regulations will be amended.
“This legislation will be coming into force in a matter of weeks and these regulations must be clarified quickly. Any competition must be based on the quality of care not price, and it must not become a barrier to collaboration between providers.”

He added: “It is vital that clinical commissioning groups feel confident in Government assurances that they will be allowed to make the best decisions about delivering quality care, without being forced into expensive and time consuming tendering processes.”