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Rt Hon David Cameron MPPrime Minister

10 Downing Street

London

SW1A 2AA

09 March 2011

Dear Prime Minister

You misquoted me again at PMQs today, as you did last month, this time in response to Karl

Turners question on the NHS.

Last time, I wrote to challenge this, saying, You were either badly briefed or dishonest.

This time, its clear that you were being dishonest.

The aims you and the Health Secretary have declared are the reason for your NHS changes

are indeed sound, as I said in my speech. But no-one could have heard my speech and believe

I back your NHS reorganisation plans and legislation. I said, Its wrong for patients. Its

wrong for our NHS.

Your stated aims could be achieved without your top-down reorganisation and will not be

achieved by it.

In fact at PMQs you have twice done exactly what I argue you and your Health Secretary are

doing more generally with the NHS you misrepresent those critical of your plans as

supporters, you are not being straight with people and you downplay or deny the fundamental

and far-reaching changes you are making to the NHS in your reorganisation.

You and your ministers may choose to misrepresent me in the Commons. But it is more

serious that your Government is doing the same with organisations of NHS professionals,

patients and experts.

Health minister Paul Burstow recently answered a Parliamentary Question, To ask the

Secretary of State for Health which organisations have indicated to him their support for

plans for the internal reorganisation of the NHS by listing 52 organisation that he said have

indicated their support for the principles of our national health service reforms.

Almost all are critical and concerned about your NHS reorganisation, many are angry that

your Government misrepresents them as supportive, and some have taken the step of

confirming this to me. These organisations deserve an apology.

Our response then went on to highlight, in detail, gave concerns regarding the White

Paper, including that GP commissioning may result in a system where GPs make

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decisions based on the commercial and not the clinical and that patients will suffer as

doctors spend more time with their account book than in the surgery.

Chief Executive, The Patients Association

Diabetes UK has considerable concern with the way in which we hve been

represented by the Minister in his answer to Luciana Berger MPs question on 25January 2011. We arent clear what statement of ours could be represented in that way

and we are contacting the department of Health to ask for clarification.

Chief Executive, Diabetes UK

We were not consulted about being included on this list and I have written to Paul

Burstow MP to express my disquiet that our inclusion oversimplifies Cancer Research

UKs position, particularly given our concerns over how the proposals could affect

patients and researchers.

Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Cancer Research UK

We have been very clear that we have grave concerns about the scope and speed ofthe structural changes proposed. We believe these represent a major risk to the quality

of patient care and the future of the NHS, and could result in increased costs,

fragmented care and an unacceptable postcode lottery of services across the country.

Chair of Council, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

We had previously noted that out original submission on the white paper was quoted

in Decembers command paper as being supportive of GP commissioning, which

again was stretching a point. The RCSLT is therefore not content to be publicised as

an unqualified supporter of the NHS reforms nor were we consulted about our

inclusion on the list.

Chief Executive, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

This is just a selection of the responses I have received.

I look forward to receiving your explanation and apology.

Yours ever

John Healey MP

Shadow Health Secretary