The government have just announced that £1bn worth of NHS contracts in community services are to be handed to non-NHS providers.

Private companies can now bid for a wide range of NHS community and hospital services. This idea, called “any qualified provider”, survived the rethink on the health bill.

There is no limit on how much NHS work could transfer to the private sector.

NHS hospitals will all become business style trusts and can also now be run by private companies for profit. The first contract is about to be signed.

The Prime Minister said that financial competition is good for the NHS, but health experts say there is more evidence thats its impact will negative than positive.

Private companies want to go faster and will use EU competition laws to speed up their access to NHS contracts.

There will now be no cap on how much income NHS hospitals can earn from private patients.

Research by the NHS Support Federation shows that at least six major private companies are interested in bidding for hospitals services and are undeterred by the health bill.

Data is regularly finding that as the NHS is forced into making cuts to its services, the number of patients being sent to private sector alternatives is rising.