I think the British people are very, very attached to the idea that the health service is free at the point of use. But there is no reason why every doctor, nurse and teacher in this country has to be employed by the state.

Osborne contrasts two ideas often conflated in British politics: universal access to healthcare without upfront charges (“free at the point of use”) and the institutional model of a predominantly state-employed workforce delivering that care. The first is framed as a deeply rooted public value; the second is presented as a contingent policy choice. The quote signals openness to market-oriented or mixed-provider reforms—such as greater use of independent providers, contracting-out, or alternative employment models—while claiming to preserve the NHS’s core promise to patients. By pairing “health service” with “teacher,” he generalizes the argument to public services more broadly: the state can fund and guarantee services without necessarily being the direct employer of those who deliver them.