I read your recent interview with the Labour shadow health secretary John Healey with interest and in a state of some confusion.
News: Labour pledges to strip financial responsibility from GPs
As your article pointed out, his desire to strip GPs of real commissioning budgets is at odds with the policy of the previous Labour government, of which Mr Healey was a member. However, it is also at odds with his current shadow health minister's view. Liz Kendall said in December, also in an interview with Pulse, that the problem with Labour's policy of practice based commissioning was that GPs were not given the resources they needed.
Labour are happy to criticise the Government's plans, but they do not set out a clear alternative. With something as important as the NHS, however, they have a duty to do so. Your readers in particular will no doubt wish to learn where they actually stand on this key issue.
From Rt Hon Simon Burns MP, Minister of health
Rt Hon Simon Burns MP, Minister of health
