Rebels set to win concessions on NHS reforms

Tony Blair was being forced to offer new concessions on his NHS reforms today in the face of a huge rebellion by MPs.

Up to 70 Labour backbenchers were set to oppose his flagship plan for foundation hospitals in a Commons showdown tonight.

Ministers were dropping strong hints to backbenchers they are prepared to water down the plans further to prevent the revolt growing.

The moves include promising that Parliament will be given powers to scrutinise the activities of foundation hospitals, which will be semiindependent.

In addition, they are promising safeguards to prevent hospitals being "taken over" by pressure groups, such as religious sects or anti-abortion campaigns.

Some 65 Labour MPs voted against the plan in the last big vote in the Commons in May - with another 50 sitting on their hands.

Labour whips were said to have reassured Mr Blair yesterday that they were confident the size of tonight's revolt had been held in check and might even fizzle out.

Today's vote is the first since the reforms' author, Alan Milburn, stepped down as Health Secretary.

New Health Secretary John Reid has held a string of private meetings-with wavering backbenchers over recent days where he promised to heed their concerns.

Among the concessions is a promise to ensure new elected committees running hospitals will properly "reflect the communities which they serve". That is aimed at concerns that small groups of singleissue campaigners could take over to dictate, for example, policies on abortions.

That follows previous concessions such as limiting the right of foundations trusts to set local pay rates or offer bounties to cream off staff from less wealthy hospitals.

Gordon Brown also killed off plans to give trusts unlimited borrowing powers. Foundation hospitals are

meant to become trailblazers in the NHS, offering the best treatments and superefficient management. Managers would have wider powers to spend money independently and to raise extra cash from the City.

Up to 30 will be created in the first wave but, in an attempt to ease fears of a two-tier NHS, ministers are promising to give every hospital the chance to achieve the same status if they pass performance tests. Some 133

MPs have signed an earlyday motion urging the Government to drop the plan, including 123 Labour backbenchers.

The names include former Health Secretary Frank Dobson, ex-ministers Chris Smith, Tony Banks, John Battle, Angela Eagle, Mark Fisher, Glenda Jackson, Peter Kilfoyle, Tony Lloyd and Joyce Quin and the chairman of the Commons Health Committee David Hinchliffe.

Doctors at the British Medical Association's annual representatives' meeting last month voted overwhelmingly against foundation hospitals. The scheme was condemned last weekend at a meeting of union leaders and Labour Left-wingers

Liberal Democrat spokesman Evan Harris claimed: "Hospital will be set against hospital. Some patients will do well, some patients will suffer. The great hospital lottery is about to begin."