NHS reform is 'biggest broken promise'

John Healey accused health secretary Andrew Lansley of being a “man in denial” about what the coalition’s reforms meant, claiming the government was making the NHS “worse not better for patients”.

Many patients were not getting the hip, knee and cataract operations they needed as waiting times lengthened under the coalition, Mr Healey told the Commons.

Waiting times were also longer for other tests and treatment, he said.

In a heated exchange with Mr Lansley during Health questions, Mr Healey said: “You are a man in denial. What the government is doing to the NHS is making things worse not better for patients.

“You are axing Labour’s patient guarantee on waiting times, you are breaking the promise of a real rise in NHS funding, you are wasting £2bn on the government’s top down reorganisation and you are forcing market competition into all parts of the NHS.

“Don’t you see that the NHS is rapidly becoming the Prime Minister’s biggest broken promise?”

But Mr Lansley insisted the government was protecting the NHS, claiming primary care trusts will receive on average an extra 3 per cent in funding next year.

He said the number of hip and knee operations had increased in 2010 compared to 2009 while waiting times were “stable”.

The number of infections were also down, he said, adding that Mr Healey’s claims were “simply not true”.

“We are delivering improved quality of care,” Mr Lansley said.