Prentis: Tories are "threat to the NHS"

The Unison general secretary has accused Michael Howard of "undermining NHS staff".

Intervening in the election campaign, Dave Prentis said the Conservative leader was angering healthcare workers with his attacks on the health service.

The union chief has also written to the Tory chief, saying the party's plans "pose a huge threat to the NHS".

His comments came as Unison members attended a three day healthcare conference in Plymouth.

The letter accused the Conservatives of "undermining both the significant investment in the NHS in recent years, as well as undermining the staff who serve the NHS with such dedication".

"Health service workers are particularly angry at the opportunism of you turning up at a hospital to get your photograph taken, only for you to suggest that wards are filthy or that there are too many bureaucrats in the NHS the moment you leave," it added.

"No wonder staff are appalled. They remember only too well what happened when you were a member of the Tory government in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Staff were under-valued and under-paid; the NHS was starved of funding and cleaning services were privatised.

"They know only too well the human cost of slashing public spending, and they will know that your plans to cut spending by £35bn will pose a huge threat to the NHS."