The NHS is to be exported across the world as part of efforts to boost investment in Britain post-Brexit, under controversial new Government plans.

Hospitals and heath watchdogs will be encouraged to set up franchises in dozens of countries, with profits ploughed into supporting the health service.

The NHS will be asked to target up to £7bn of opportunities a year over the next decade, in a bid to share expertise and increase investment in frontline services.

Officials hope to turn the UK's national health service into a global brand, in the same way that the BBC gains significant income from its commercial BBC Worldwide arm.

In recent years, a handful of NHS trusts have set up franchises abroad. Specialist eye hospital Moorfields has branches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation trust has set up mental health services in Abu Dhabi and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation trust is helping to develop hospital services in China.

Together, NHS organisations have won export business of more than £100m over the last two years. But ministers want to go much further - to increase overseas investment seventy-fold over the next decade.

And officials are in talks with NHS watchdogs the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and National Institute of Care and Health Excellence (Nice) about whether they could sell their expertise abroad, to countries attempting to strengthen healthcare regulation and assessment of new medicines.