Caroline Lucas has warned that the Health Bill, published this week, could spell the end for a publicly-run NHS - and pave the way for private companies to generate profits at the expense of taxpayers and local front line services.

The Brighton Pavilion MP said:

"Forcing our GPs to take on the extra burden of commissioning health care as Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities are abolished is a reckless strategy.

"The fact is, the coalition government knows perfectly well that GPs will have neither the time, the will nor the necessary skills to commission health care - and this is precisely where private companies come in.

"Andrew Lansley's proposals will mean that, for the first time, the NHS is opened up to EU competition law. In reality, this puts services up and down the country at the mercy of price competition between providers - making them dangerously vulnerable to a drop in standards."

The Health Bill has attracted criticism from many organisations, including the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and UNISON.

Caroline concluded: "When Labour were in power, they welcomed in private healthcare providers and saddled the NHS with huge debts through PFI schemes. Labour started the ball rolling on a transition towards NHS privatisation - now the Tory-led government is taking us ever further down that road".

ENDS