"Expect multiple train crashes"

Here is a terrific article by Polly Toynbee from yesterday's Guardian. As someone who has experience of negotiating contracts under European procurement directives I can't see how doubling the number of commissioning bodies will reduce bureaucracy. If the government think that a standard form of contract will simplify matters they only have to look at the experience under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to see how much is spent on lawyers and other advisors to make the standard contract fit each project's specific requirements. Let's face it, even changing the names of the parties in a standard contract will take some time and money to complete. Whilst I suspect that law firms and management consultants might have a difficult time in short term as public bodies take in the scale of cuts they have to make the chances are that new opportunities such as the reorganisation of the NHS will provide a significant income stream. Will all of this result in an NHS that is better value for money?