David Cameron has been accused of deepening divisions in the health service after it emerged that opponents of controversial NHS reforms were excluded from a key Downing Street summit.
The Prime Minister will today hold discussions with chairs of the emerging GP-led clinical commissioning groups along with leaders of the Royal Colleges.
National board will oversee the new system as well as taking charge of specialists services. Will be headed by Sir David Nicholson who is current NHS chief executive.
Both bodies have been vocal in their opposition to the Health and Social Care Bill and have called on the Commons and the Lords to reject it as it makes its way through the two houses.
He added that the major health unions had 'strong and sincerely-held views' about the risks to the NHS from the Government's reorganisation.
He called on Mr Cameron to invite the BMA and RCN along with the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of General Practitioners to the meeting – all of whom oppose the Bill.
'This (summit) is part of an ongoing dialogue. We have had hundreds of meetings, there have been thousands of people involved in talking and looking into different ways of improving and engaging on the Health Bill.
Mr Burns said on this occasion the Government was meeting organisations that were 'constructively involved' in the process.
He warned that 'in some ways this has become a political football'.
However, Downing Street would not confirm who was on the guest list for today's discussions.
At the ‘summit’, the Prime Minister will reveal statistics that show handing power to GPs can transform care and keep patients out of hospital.
He will go on the offensive amid growing demands from doctors and unions to drop the Health and Social Care Bill, now going through the House of Lords.
Department of Health figures show a 0.5 per cent decline in emergency admissions in 2011, compared with a 36 per cent increase between 2001 and 2010.
groups have been set up.
He will point to Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley in Kent, where admissions to hospital by care home patients have been slashed 33 per cent in the past six months.
calls from care homes, helping reduce hospital visits by 40 per cent.