NHS Reorganisation

Apart from the fact that the Government are clearly attempting to fulfil their own manifesto promise of £250 billion of cuts, the hon. Gentleman should not read so much into the note distributed to him and his fellow Back Benchers by the Labour health team, and signed by the special advisers to the Secretary of State, that tries to suggest that that is our position, not recognising that it is nothing to do with the policy that we promote. Quick consultations always suggest a foregone conclusion. I have been contacted by GPs in my constituency who work within the Central Cheshire PCT and who are worried that that is the case. They understand that the Government’s current preferred option is that all four existing Cheshire PCTs became one, but fear that that will be too large, impacting on local links, covering different care pathways and looking to both Manchester and Liverpool, which is inappropriate for my constituents. With them, I favour Central Cheshire and Eastern Cheshire PCTs combining. They are also concerned, as are all Opposition Members, that those structural changes are a deliberate ploy by the Government to mask the consequences of deficits and their impact on patients.