Labour plans to scrap the Government’s controversial NHS reforms if they win the next general election, Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham (pictured) has said.

Speaking in Parliament during a debate opposing the reforms, Mr Burnham insisted the changes open the door to privatisation within the NHS and undermine the health service in general.

He said that Labour will “repeal the bill” if elected claiming it to be a “defective, sub-optimal piece of legislation” that has left the NHS with a “complicated mess”.

The Shadow Health Secretary added that it would be “irresponsible” to leave the Health Act in place if Labour were elected and added that the “gap between ministers’ complacent statements and people’s real experience of the NHS gets wider every week”.

“They are in denial about the effects of their reorganisation in the real world, it is dangerous complacency and it can’t be allowed to continue.”

Health Minister Simon Burns countered Mr Burnham’s claims by reminding the Leigh MP that Labour leader Ed Miliband had previously said he would keep clinical commissioning in place if elected as prime minister.

But the former Health Secretary insisted “it’s not about the organisations, it’s about the services they provide”.

“The existing organisations can be asked to work differently, as I would ask them to work differently,” he said.

“I don’t want those NHS organisations in outright competition, hospital versus hospital. I want them working collaboratively.”

The Government’s controversial NHS reforms have resulted in public satisfaction levels on the way the NHS is run fall by 12% in the last year, a new survey has shown.

The British Social Attitudes Survey showed how public satisfaction fell from 70% in 2010 to 58% in 2011 after the reforms came under increased scrutiny by the media and public.

John Appleby, Chief Economist at The King’s Fund – who sponsored the survey’s health questions – said he was shocked how quickly satisfaction levels had reduced.

The study questioned more than 1,000 people between July and November last year. It found that satisfaction with individual services also fell by 4% for GPs, 5% for inpatient services, 6% for outpatient services and 7% for A&E services.

Although the survey found the NHS to be performing well in other areas, The King’s Fund said the levels of satisfaction had been influenced by the Government’s reforms, publicised funding pressures and ministerial rhetoric.

“It is not surprising this has happened when the NHS is facing a well-publicised spending squeeze,” said Mr Appleby. “Nevertheless, it is something of a shock that it has fallen so significantly. This will be a concern to the Government, given it appears to be closely linked with the debate on its NHS reforms.”

Mike Farrar, NHS Confederation Chief Executive, said it was “really important” politicians and NHS leaders are “engaging the public in the major debate about the NHS” to improve satisfaction levels.

“The NHS has got to respond to massive financial pressure and the changing nature of health and social care in a way that takes patients and the public with us,” he said. “It will be much harder to make the changes to services necessary if public perception and confidence deteriorates.”

Public satisfaction with the NHS had risen steadily over the previous decade before the most recent findings – the biggest fall in a year since the survey began in 1983.

The chair of Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group, Sam Everington, has written to David Cameron calling for him to withdraw the controversial Health and Social Care Bill.

Mr Everington claims that local commissioning decisions already take place within his area and “an act of Parliament is not needed to make this happen” throughout the country.

In the letter posted on the internet, he said his CCG shares the concerns of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association in opposing the Bill.

“The Board of NHS Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group ask you to reflect and to withdraw the Health and Social Care Bill,” he said.

“Supporting improvements in the quality of patient care is our passion and focus. We support a strong role for clinical involvement in commissioning decisions that lead to better health outcomes for our patients. We do this already in Tower Hamlets.

“Tower Hamlets primary care team has a long tradition and reputation for innovation and commitment to partnership working with patients and managers. We make the best of any challenges that come our way. Innovations include real improvements in the health of our patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes, the highest childhood vaccination rates in London, and an exemplary local out of hours service, delivered by our GPs and highly valued by patients.”

Mr Everington added that his CCG already works in partnership with the local community and health services “to improve and integrate services for the benefit of our patients”. The GP said that it was “against this background that we represent the views of our local GPs in asking you to withdraw the Bill”.

“Clinicians, patients and managers in Tower Hamlets are determined to improve health and well-being, but your rolling restructuring of the NHS compromises our ability to focus on what really counts – improving quality of services for patients, and ensuring value for money during a period of financial restraint,” he said.

“We care deeply about the patients that we see every day and we believe the improvements we all want to see in the NHS can be achieved without the bureaucracy generated by the Bill.”