THE man leading the controversial shake-up of the NHS in Oxfordshire was unavailable to comment on claims the plans would do “irreparable” damage to the provision of public health services.

The Government wants GPs to take control of most of the NHS budget, instead of primary care trusts like NHS Oxfordshire, in a move it claims will give patients more choice.

David Cameron, above, is pictured at the Conservative Party Conference yesterday in Manchester where health issues are being discussed.

Oxfordshire is one of the areas leading the way by setting up a ‘pathfinding’ GP consortium and has started trialling some of the proposed changes ahead of the dismantling of primary care trusts in 2013.

But almost 400 doctors and senior clinicians have urged the House of Lords to reject the Health and Social Care Bill, which will face its second reading next week.

In an open letter published in the Daily Telegraph yesterday the public health specialists claim that Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s proposals will put ‘patient safety at risk, waste money and damage trust in the medical profession’.

They believe the bill, which aims to reduce management costs and open up NHS services to private companies, will weaken the ability of the authorities to fight disease and tackle health emergencies. Signatories include consultants, directors of public health and academics, who said: “The Bill will do irreparable harm to the NHS, to patients and to society as a whole.”

Last night Goring GP Dr Stephen Richards, clinical lead for the consortium, was unavailable to comment. Instead a spokesman for the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group said they would carry on with the changes as planned until directed otherwise.