Complex sentence: Liberating the NHS, had been published as far back as July 2010, and the UK Government response "Liberating the NHS: legislative framework and next steps" followed that white paper in December 2010.
Split into simpler sentences: Liberating the NHS, had in fact been published as far back as July 2010. The UK Government response "Liberating the NHS: legislative framework and next steps" followed that white paper in December 2010.