The storm over the NHS resurfaces

After a summer lull from endless criticism from those connected to the health care sector about his plans, it appears that Cameron's hopes that he would be able to slip through the Heath and Social Care Bill this week with less difficulty look to be misplaced.

First, the British Medical Association  made it clear that, despite some amendments to Lansley's original proposals, they remain in opposition to what they describe as "an inappropriate and misguided reliance on "market forces" to shape services".

And now, Shirley Williams has reaffirmed her opposition to what she believes could be the effective end of the NHS. She also asks why the Tory Party seems intent on replicating aspects of the American model of health care delivery. This is a valid point: this blog has previously drawn attention to the independent Commonwealth Fund's research that has identified the NHS as being both more efficient and more effective than the US health care system.

It will be intriguing to see just how far the Liberal Democrats will be willing to go the extra distance to ensure that the demands they made earlier in the year have actually been met. As the (independent) legal advice recently commissioned by 38 Degrees has demonstrated, even the supposed concessions that Lansley has made may not be quite what they seem.