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Ashworth says Tories must apologise for 'ludicrous' NHS reforms

THE Tories should apologise to the nation for the “dangerous and ludicrous reforms” they introduced to the NHS, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said today.

The Labour MP also pledged that Labour would repeal the controversial Health and Social Care Act 2012, brought in by then Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, which he said amounts to “a shameful, failed experiment.”

Mr Ashworth said in a statement: “The reforms forced on our health service by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government were the biggest disaster in the proud 70-year history of the NHS.

“The Tories were warned that their foolhardy reforms would lead to the fragmentation and privatisation of our public health service and undermine the integration and co-ordination necessary to manage the NHS. But they have turned out even worse than anyone could have imagined.

“The Health and Social Care Act was a shameful, failed experiment inflicted on our public health service by the Tories, and our NHS and its patients have suffered as a result of its dangerous and ludicrous reforms.”

On both the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show and Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, he also explained that a Labour government would raise taxation on the wealthiest to fund the NHS.

Labour has called on Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt to meet five key tests — on issues such as lack of funding, recruitment and retention problems, and privatisation of services — to bring the NHS back from the “brink.”

Mr Ashworth said he is also calling on him to intervene to prevent the mass outsourcing of NHS staff in 30 hospitals, which he said would lead to staff working under worse terms and conditions.

Last week, staff at Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust took industrial action against proposals by the trust to outsource large swathes of cleaning and facilities staff.

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