In 1974 the boards were abolished and replaced by regional health authorities; Gloucestershire came under the South Western RHA.
The transfer to the community interest company Gloucester Care Services was challenged in the courts by local resident and service user Michael Lloyd on behalf of a well organised campaign, Stroud Against The Cuts, which claimed that social enterprises were a stepping stone to privatisation, allowing the private sector to compete for contracts after only a few years.
[5] It was successfully argued in court by David Lock QC that while services could be commissioned from NHS providers without the need for a procurement process, it had been unlawful for them to be transferred to a social enterprise without competition.
[6] Gloucestershire CCG supported an "arts on prescription" service, known as Artlift, to prevent chronic conditions from becoming acute.
Patients with long term conditions such as depression or chronic pain were referred for ten weeks of arts activity.
Gloucestershire and Bristol CCGs were proposing restricted access to acupuncture, adenoidectomy and post-operative physiotherapy.
Holly Maltby of 38 Degrees said, "These plans shed light on just how seriously patient care in South Gloucestershire could be affected.
They also begin to paint a picture for how services in other areas of England are likely to be hit too – with cancer treatment and children in need affected.