Actually, Unite (the Union) is fairly new, a little over five years if memory serves, but their roots go back through 1922 when the TGWU was founded to the Labour Protection League in 1871.

Thus Unite has a good deal more respectable history than the NHS itself which dates only from 4 July 1948 and has had, for well over a century, a track record of representing the interests of worker peoples over those of the contemporary and modern-day "privateers" such as the present NHS revisionists.

What is HMG?

Her Majesty's Government (see post #5)

Thanks, Dunroving. I thought so but wasn't sure.

Silly me, in trying to understand all these changes, I had failed to realise that NHS England and National Health Service (England) are not the same thing. Not even close, though both are parts of the same government.

Wikipedia to the rescue.

But just in case you are not confused yet there is a detailed document at
http://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/con.../pssmanual.pdf
Title:NHS Commissioning Board Manual for prescribed specialised services
It has a publication date of November 2013.
Yep, November 2013 (sic).

Yes I think people are panicking about the NHS 'going private' which is not actually what the article is about.

To me, the biggest change, seems to be the determination, at the highest levels, to be rid of the so-called postcode lottery.

This means change and NHS clinicians reflexively abhor material change (since they are so paternalistic "doctor knows best" in outlook) and so they fight it. They prefer "change the name and continue the game much the same".

The NHS conference is presently under way in Liverpool.
There are some very interesting sessions especially as to how the NHS is embracing modern technology.
http://conference.nhsconfed.org/programme/#6th_june