Tories: NHS plans are ominous
Friday, 09 May 2008 12:14
The Conservative party have given a cautious reception to the government's NHS reform proposals, describing them as "extremely ominous".
Eminent clinician Lord Ara Darzi has unveiled five pledges to patients and healthcare professionals ahead of the next report on NHS reform.
He claims the reform will benefit patients; be clinically driven; locally-led; and involve patients and carers.
But shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has warned the plans will lead to "huge upheaval and loss of local services" across the country.
"Lord Darzi is tripping over himself to say there isn't another big, top-down reorganisation of the NHS coming; unfortunately he has only heightened suspicion that that's exactly what this is," Mr Lansley claimed.
The Tory MP argued that the health minister's plans were too structurally based and "don't provide solid evidence for change".
"We value our local NHS services and don't want to lose them," he added. "Labour seem completely out-of-touch with that feeling."
