NHS facing 'challenging times' says Blair

Tony Blair has admitted that the NHS is facing "challenging times" as he held a summit to discuss the growing financial crisis in the health service.

But Mr Blair insisted that reforms would bring improvements, despite continuing job cuts across the NHS as trusts struggle to cope with serious financial deficits, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Blair said: "The hard thing is that when change is happening there's enormous resistance but sometimes what's important is to hold your own and have confidence that the change will deliver a better service."

Chief executives of primary care trusts and health authorities were invited to today's summit to discuss how to bring the NHS back into financial balance. The total NHS deficit for this year is expected to be £623 million.

The meeting was held a day after the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust became the latest to announce jobs cuts with up to 500 posts being shed to tackle its £28.6 million deficit.

500 hospital jobs at stake for not even two days worth of our contributions to the fraud-ridden EU budget? Is this what MPs call supporting public services?