Health Bill's future hangs in balance.

As parliament returns, the Health Bill still faces the possibility of being scrapped in its entirety. Susie Sell reports.

Despite all the debate and interest in the NHS reforms, the Health Bill that will underpin them is not yet halfway through its parliamentary journey.

Next week, after weeks of relative quiet during the summer recess, noise around the Bill will restart as parliament goes back to work. In fact, the possibility that the Bill could be scrapped in its entirety remains real, the BMA and members of the House of Lords believe.

Mounting criticism of the Bill earlier this year forced the government to launch the NHS Future Forum listening exercise in April. Subsequent amendments to the Health Bill in June initially seemed to have appeased critical MPs and GP leaders.

But just days before parliament's summer recess in July, the BMA launched a campaign to scrap the Bill entirely.