Mr Dodge, who left NHSE in 2022, reflects on the lessons that can be learned from two decades of NHS restructure Acts: they rarely succeed in transforming services, take longer and are more complex than thought, and open the door to unpredictable challenges from outsiders and opponents.

We talk about what these attacks might be, and the dilemmas facing government as it decides how to change the law.

Mr Dodge says ministers have already missed the chance of a very simple piece of legislation to abolish NHSE. “The 10-Year Plan blew that out of the water with a whole heap of things that the government decided to abolish,” he said. “Already this thing has ballooned.”

On timing, he predicts NHSE is unlikely to be abolished until “sometime between 1 October 2027 or 1 April 2028… and it will take up a vast amount of time and effort”.

Send views and questions to annabelle.collins@hsj.co.uk.

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