The most controversial aspect of the plan was the introduction of more private sector providers and a more competitive internal market.
At the beginning of the printed document were two pages with the signatures of 25 prominent leaders in the health field, including doctors, Trades Unions, patient charities and the Local Government Association The main features the plan promised[1] were: Tony Blair in his foreword promised that the March 2000 Budget settlement meant that the NHS would grow by one half in cash terms and by one third in real terms in five years.
Other developments flowing from the plan included care trusts, nurse prescribing, the creation of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service and the abolition of community health councils.
According to Jennifer Dixon of the King's Fund writing in the British Medical Journal just after publication: "This is probably as good as it gets: a significant injection of money for the NHS sustained over five years coupled with a comprehensive national plan".
Fraser Nelson described it as a "brilliant, radical and enduring document" which "prescribed a heavy dose of market reform" - of which he approved.