The first of a new generation of NHS cottage hospitals will be announced by the Department of Health today, kickstarting a £750m programme to move minor operations away from the big general hospitals and closer to people's homes.
The government concedes patients should be allowed a veto on information about their medical history being passed from their GP to a national database.
David Cameron seized on the findings of the health select committee and challenged the prime minister over accusations of 'poor central management' of the NHS.
Leader: Along with optimistic plans to move the NHS as a whole into surplus, comes the admission that the financial binds being imposed were "unsustainable" for many individual trusts.