To conclude this trilogy of posts on the likelihood of a Government retreat on the autonomy of Foundation Trusts, I want to examine lasts weeks’ assertion of a new Government policy by David Nicholson.

Last April Stephen Dorrell famously said that the Government had lost control of its health policy.  They then demonstrated that this was indeed the case by outsourcing the reform of their reforms to the Future Forum.  Last week’s Mid Staffs Inquiry evidence from David Nicholson showed how the Government has now institutionalised that loss of control.