Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, has launched a stinging attack on health secretary Andrew Lansley's "U-turn" over his promises to reconsider the possible closure of hospital wards and accident and emergency departments. David Nicholson, the health service's chief executive, has written to NHS managers saying that there should be plans in place to "reconfigure" hospitals by the end of October – a pressing need given the NHS will need to save £20bn in the next three years. Lansley had promised a moratorium on the changes planned by Labour. However, Nicholson told the managers: "The NHS has always changed and adapted to new technologies, medicines and treatments and must continue to do so."
I'm not saying a word
Burnham repeatedly questioned the credibility of Lansley's promises on the election trail. He said: "This U-turn proves that Lansley was playing politics with the NHS at the election and has now had to face up to reality. His opportunistic pledge to halt A&E and maternity closures has lasted less than two months." Lansley, Burnham's successor as health secretary, had also reneged on his commitment to "end top down reorganisations of the NHS". Burnham said: "In May he said that service changes should not be subject to top down processes or timetables. Now he is asking strategic health authorities to oversee a bureaucratic process to review all planned, ongoing and completed reconfigurations to a nationally set timetable. This means more uncertainty for patients and staff. The NHS needs stability right now - what they are being offered is confusion, contradictions and chaos."
