Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to the ‘Fit for the future?’ report, said:

“This is a damning verdict on David Cameron’s disastrous NHS reorganisation.

“It is clear that senior people in the NHS, who have seen this reorganisation at close quarters, believe it has left the NHS weakened and in a worse position to deal with a dangerous winter.

“It was a monumental mistake to siphon £3 billion out of the NHS frontline and throw the whole system into chaos with a reorganisation nobody wanted and nobody voted for. It has contributed to the loss of almost 6,000 nurses and a growing A&E crisis.

“David Cameron promised he’d protect the NHS, but this report confirms that under him the NHS going backwards.”