Patricia Hewitt is accused of NHS trust cronyism

Hewitt is accused of NHS trust cronyism

Extracts:

"Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, faced accusations of cronyism last night as figures showed NHS trusts are being packed with Labour activists.

Seven out of 10 people appointed to the boards of hospital and primary care trusts who declared a political affiliation said they were Labour supporters. In contrast, only one in six were Tories and one in eight were Liberal Democrats, according to the independent NHS Appointments Commission.

The Tories said the figures exposed a continuing bias towards Labour supporters."

"Stephen O'Brien, the shadow health minister, said: "We need to take politics out of the NHS. Staff and patients deserve to know that decisions about access to care are driven by good intentions.""