BMA to call on House of Lords to fight NHS reform

The British Medical Association (BMA) has expressed hope that the House of Lords will be able to block the passage of the controversial Health and Social Care Bill.

Disappointment has been voiced by the medical industry association after the much-debated NHS reform legislation was passed by the House of Commons, following its third reading this week.

Concerns have been raised by doctors over numerous aspects of the bill, including its focus on competition, amendments to the responsibilities of providers and the potentially reduced accountability for the health secretary.

BMA GPs committee chair Laurence Buckman acknowledged that some changes have been made to the reforms, but not on the scale the organisation feels is necessary, meaning it will be lobbying peers to block the bill.

"We know many of the lords share our concerns about this flawed bill and the BMA will be using every opportunity available in the coming months to make sure doctors' concerns are heard," he said.

This comes after the organisation stated earlier this week that it feels the Health and Social Care Bill threatens the future of the NHS and needs to be drastically changed, or else scrapped completely.