Sir Stephen Bubb put forward the case for charities to deliver services within the NHS and the need for reform of social care funding at the NHS summit at Downing Street yesterday, attended by the Prime Minister.

The summit followed the second reading in the House of Lords of the Health and Social Care Bill 2010-2012, which took place on 13 February. The Bill includes proposals to reduce NHS administration costs by cutting the number of health bodies including abolishing Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities, and plans to create an independent NHS Board.

Critics of the bill include public sector union Unison, which was excluded from yesterday's summit. Unison says the Bill will lead to "at least 13,000 redundancies", and "bring wholesale competition into the NHS". 

But Sir Stephen, Acevo chief executive, said that the debate about privatisation should be kept separate from the role that third sector organisations can play in delivering NHS services, and suggested that the Bill represents significant opportunities for not-for-profit organisations:

"The third sector has a vital role to play in delivering services to people who rely on the NHS, and we should not let the debate about privatisation undermine the potential for charities and social enterprises up and down the country to do more for their beneficiaries.

"As the government moves to implement its health reforms, Acevo will be looking to ensure this potential is maximised, and I have been talking to the Royal College of GPs, the NHS Alliance and others about how we improve the relationships between Acevo members and the GPs at the centre of the system," he said.

Sir Stephen also called upon the Prime Minister and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to "seize the opportunity to reform social care funding at a time when it desperately needs change". 

"Without reform of social funding, many people's experience of care would be worse than it needs to be - and ultimately the funding crisis in social care would have a negative impact on the NHS reforms," he said.

A third reading of the Bill in the House of Lords is due on Monday 27 February.