Lansley right man for job - Clegg

13 February 2012 Last updated at 20:22 GMT Nick Clegg is under pressure from Lib Dems to fight changes to the NHS Nick Clegg has insisted that Health Secretary Andrew Lansley must be allowed to see his overhaul of the NHS in England through Parliament.

The deputy prime minister and Liberal Democrat leader said Mr Lansley believed "passionately" in change and was the "right man for the job".

On Sunday Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes said Mr Lansley should "move on" once the NHS overhaul was completed.

Meanwhile, peers are debating amendments to Mr Lansley's plans.

The Health and Social Care Bill, which aims to give GPs more control of the NHS budget and boost the private sector's role, has encountered strong opposition during its progress through Parliament.

The latest amendments being discussed in the House of Lords include ensuring the state's duty to "protect public health" and promising more "openness" with patients when care goes wrong.

Labour and several medical professional bodies are against the bill.

Mr Lansley has been criticised for his handling of the changes to the NHS, with opponents arguing that he has not presented a coherent case for them or a clear vision of the health service's future.

Several Liberal Democrats have voiced concerns and the bill has already been "paused" once by the coalition in an effort to gather wider support.

Continue reading the main story The Health and Social Care Bill is one of the flagship pieces of legislation from the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition governmentGPs and other clinicians are to be given much more responsibility for NHS spending in England and greater competition with the private sector encouragedThe plans were put on hold last spring after opposition from MPs and peers. Labour warned of privatisation at the expense of patient care.After a "listening exercise" some changes were made and the revised bill cleared its next Commons stageBut when the bill was in the Lords before Christmas it faced mounting opposition and the royal colleges of nurses and midwives joined those who opposed the bill outrightLabour is calling for the bill to be dropped, but a series of fresh amendments have been put forward aimed at tackling critics' concernsOn Sunday Mr Hughes said Mr Lansley should "move on" from his role after the legislation is completed.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show it might be for the best if the health secretary changed roles - but only after the reforms were in place.

"My political judgement is that in the second half of the parliament it would be better to move on," he said.

Mr Hughes, who remains outside the government, said amendments demanded by the House of Lords could leave the bill "in better shape", but it was still "not the bill we would have wanted".

But Prime Minister David Cameron backed up Mr Lansley, saying he was "at one" with the health secretary over the plans.

Mr Clegg, who is under pressure from grass-roots Lib Dems to ensure the bill does not lead to "back-door privatisation" of the NHS, told the BBC: "Andrew Lansley is the architect of the NHS bill. He cares passionately about the NHS. He's the right man for the job and he must see it through."

Bodies such as the British Medical Association and Royal College of Nursing remain opposed to the NHS changes, despite concessions from ministers.

While giving GPs a bigger say has been welcomed by some, the competition element remains controversial.

The bill has suffered two defeats in the House of Lords.

Last November peers passed an amendment stating that the health secretary should "promote equality for those providing services on behalf of the health service".

And last week they backed another demanding that the NHS "give mental illness equal status with physical illness".

Hundreds of amendments

Peers are expected to spend up to seven days in total debating and voting on hundreds of amendments made by opponents of the bill, and concessions offered by ministers.

Around 25 amendments could be discussed on Monday.

The government won a vote on the issue of a "duty of candour" on Monday evening, with peers rejecting - by 234 votes to 198 - an amendment to the bill legislating for openness with patients when things go wrong.

The government argued that the requirement to openness and transparency should be written into NHS contracts, rather than the bill, thereby placing the responsibility "as close to the front line as possible".

An amendment was accepted by the government that will force private providers of NHS services to co-operate in the training and education of staff.

The health bill has already been voted through by the House of Commons.

'Setting the rules'

In the Lords, the government has faced questions about the role of the management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company in helping to frame the bill.

This follows a report in the Mail on Sunday that senior staff at the NHS body Monitor, whose role under the plans would include regulating healthcare contracts, had been entertained at the company's expense.

Labour's Baroness Royall said the company seemed "to be setting the rules in the health bill and benefiting from the outcome".

But health minister Earl Howe said spending on consultants had fallen since the coalition took power in 2010.

He added: "We need to be careful before casting doubt on the integrity of public servants and, indeed, of McKinseys."

Earl Howe also said it would be "irresponsible" for the government not to use the expertise available and that consultants, if used properly, could be "highly cost-effective".

For Labour, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has promised to give Mr Cameron the "fight of his life" unless he tones down the bill.