Ministers press on with NHS plans

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said a ''very large'' number of people are ''happy'' about change

Continue reading the main storyRelated storiesLeaders in 'broken promises' rowQ&A: The NHS shake-upNHS 'tested to limit by savings' The government has confirmed it is to push ahead with big structural changes to the NHS in England.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the reform agenda was "on track" following a public consultation, despite concerns from health unions.

Primary Care Trusts are to be abolished by 2013, when GPs will plan hospital care and manage budgets to pay for it.

In the Commons, the Labour leader Ed Miliband condemned the moves.

The Shadow Health Secretary John Healey said it was the wrong time to be making such big changes to the health service.

He said: "This is a massive upheaval and a massive distraction and it puts a pressure on the NHS which it could live without at the moment.

"And when the doctors don't want it, the health experts are warning against it, patients groups are concerned, this is really the last thing that the government needs to do."

Operating framework

The Department of Health has carried out a public consultation on reform plans set out in a White Paper, receiving some 6,000 responses.