The government's NHS reforms are rapidly becoming Prime Minister David Cameron's "biggest broken promise", shadow health secretary John Healey has suggested.
At question time on 8 March 2011, Mr Healey accused Health Secretary Andrew Lansley of being a "man in denial" about the impact of the changes, claiming the government was making the NHS "worse not better for patients".
Many patients were not getting the hip, knee and cataract operations they needed as waiting times lengthened under the coalition, Mr Healey told the Commons.
Waiting times were also longer for other tests and treatment, he said.
But Mr Lansley insisted the government was protecting the NHS, claiming primary care trusts will receive on average an extra 3% in funding next year.
He said the number of hip and knee operations had increased in 2010 compared to 2009 while waiting times were "stable".
The number of infections were also down, he said, adding that Mr Healey's claims were "simply not true".
"We are delivering improved quality of care," Mr Lansley said.
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