7:10pm Tuesday 23rd March 2010
By David Lindsell
This article appeared in the Surrey Comet on March 19, 2010
The Tories will "rip-up" plans to shift work and money away from hospitals into the primary care sector if they come to power.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley told health magazine Pulse he did not believe the NHS structure was in place to implement the ideas drawn up by former health minister Lord Darzi.
And he promised to halt the south-west London review, a move which could infuriate clinicians who have spent nearly a year discussing the changes.
He said: "It is assumed patients denied access to hospital services will be accommodated elsewhere in the community at a lower cost."
"The assumptions are literally heroic."
The Conservatives do not accept the premise of the review, which is a forecast overspend of £300m in 2016/17.
Parliamentary hopeful for Kingston and Surbiton, Helen Whately, said: "We have committed to investing in the NHS.
"That means London's health services won't face that £300m problem and won't need to downgrade lots of hospitals to balance the books."
But Mike O’Brien, health minister, said: "The key Darzi components can be summarised as localised services where possible, and centralised services where necessary.
"That is the process that the Conservative party is attacking."
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