The government is set for a difficult time when its plans to overhaul the NHS in England are debated in the Lords.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley wants GPs to get more control over budgets and more competition with the system.
But Labour and several health bodies oppose the changes, which have already been delayed to garner more support.
The government has offered several concessions, including strengthening the accountability of the health secretary, which peers will discuss.
Through the Health and Social Care Bill, Mr Lansley is proposing the biggest shake-up since the NHS was founded in 1948.
Under the plans, groups of GPs will take charge of much of the NHS budget from managers working for primary care trusts, while more competition with the private sector will be encouraged.
But several health bodies, including the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, have voiced concerns, with the Royal College of GPs writing last week to Prime Minister David Cameron to ask for the bill to be scrapped.
'Carefully listening'Labour opposes the legislation, while some Liberal Democrat and independent peers are demanding changes to it.
Last Wednesday, Mr Lansley tabled more than 100 amendments to the bill, which has been passed by the Commons, in an effort to push it through the Lords.
One states that the health regulator, Monitor, will have the power to require that healthcare providers supply "integrated services", such as ensuring patients leaving hospital move straight into high-quality after-care.
Another amendment stipulates that medical research should be a "core function" of the NHS, to allow it to keep pace with foreign competitors.
But the amendment which will be debated on Wednesday involves ministerial accountability. It promises to guarantee "beyond doubt" the health secretary's duty to keep the overall NHS in tact.
Labour insists these concessions do not go far enough and is urging the government to drop the whole bill, arguing it will lead to "privatisation by the back door".
Opposition to the proposals led Prime Minister David Cameron to pause the proposed shake-up in April last year, to allow further consultation.
Mr Lansley has said the government is carefully listening to medical professionals and patients and the amendments "address the remaining issues" concerning some peers.
Changes are already being made to pave the way for the new system provided by the NHS bill to start in 2013.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-16933394
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