Mr Letwin, the Cabinet Office’s minister for government policy, has been drafted in to scrutinise the plans for the NHS reorganisation.
The DoH played down the move, explaining cross-government discussions are a ‘normal’ part of the reform process.
But shadow health secretary John Healey said the move shows ‘just how isolated the health secretary has become’.
He said: ‘The Tories trusted Andrew Lansley to be their ‘Mr NHS’ and stop health policy becoming a toxic issue. Instead, he’s led the government into a barrage of concern from patients, doctors and health experts and broken the Prime Minister’s pledge on no more top down reorganisations.'
In a letter to David Cameron, Mr Healey said Mr Lansley should answer key questions, including why the reform plans have attracted ‘universal concern’ from health experts, professional bodies and patient groups.
